The Twisted Tree
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: After trying to take the Great Spirit, Hao is punished with the removal of his powers and made to live with Silva. The surprises are not over for Hao though, who will start to wonder if death wasn't a kinder punishment than having to live in a mad house. Shenanigans ahead
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story, with a couple of new OCs! Hope you all enjoy, I don't own anything but the story idea and my ocs!

Sliva looked around the council room at the other Patch officials. Nichrome and Magna were carefully avoiding everyone else's eyes; they were just as appalled as anyone else at Hao's attempt to take the Great Spirit by force, and seemed to be rethinking their backing of him. Silva didn't feel all that sympathetic towards their discomfort.

Goldva stepped into the room and Silva waited to hear what was to be done about Hao. He had not died of the injuries he'd received at Yoh's hands, but no one knew that but the Patch themselves, and they intended to keep it that way. He was in the Patch's hospital now, out of surgery and likely to live despite his horrific injuries, which included massive blood loss, broken ribs and a broken knee cap.

Goldva held up her hands for silence and the room stilled. "After much discussion with the Great Spirit a punishment for Hao has been decided." She said. "Hao has been stripped of his powers and will not be able to regain them, no matter what he tries."

"Is that it?" Kalim asked.

"We will not execute him." Goldva replied, fixing Kalim with a stern look. "The Great Spirit feels that having to live without his powers, and watch when the tournament does begin again, is fitting punishment for him."

Silva had to smirk. The punishment was the most humiliating they could have come up with, for Hao at least. "Once he is recovered enough he will live in the village, here." Goldva added. "Silva, you will house him."

"Why me?" Silva sputtered.

"You are his descendant." Goldva replied. "Imagine how he will feel having to be dependent on the kindness of you."

"Imagine how I will feel having to look at him every day." Silva grumbled.

"This is not up for debate, Silva." Goldva said sternly. "Consider this repayment for all those times I turned a blind eye to you helping Yoh." Silva flushed; he thought he'd been sneaky enough to avoid the old matriarch seeing. "Not as clever as you'd like to think, boy." Goldva informed him smugly. "Now then, away with you all, we have repairs to do."

"Well, that was unexpected." Kalim commented as they walked out of the meeting. "Too bad for you."

"Shut it." Silva grumped, punching Kalim in the arm. Kalim just laughed at him. Silva was about to swear at him when his cell phone, the one he didn't use for Patch business, rang in his pocket. He frowned and quickly dug it out of his pocket; there was only one person who could be calling him using it.

"Hello?" He asked.

"**Hello, sexy."** Silva sighed at the flirty voice in his ear.

"Patrick, why are you calling me?" He asked.

"**What, no love for me? I'm hurt." **Patrick replied, mock-pouting.

"Patrick…" Silva said in a warning tone.

"Hey, is that the guy-" Silva elbowed Kalim before he could finished his sentence, but Kalim snickered anyways.

"**Alright, alright, real talk." **Patrick said. **"Look, Zir got into some trouble a few months back, and she's not doing so good." **

"What? What happened?" Silva asked, clutching the phone tighter.

"**Probably a better idea to let her tell you when she's there." **Patrick replied.

"Here? She's coming here?" Silva asked.

"**We were hoping both of us could come." **Patrick said. **"She needs to get away, she's not… she's a bit unstable right now and right now I'm the one that's keeping her from going off the deep end again, so if she's going, then I'm going." **

"Zirca's family, and if she needs you here, then you are allowed to be here." Silva said. "It won't be a problem."

"**That's good." **Patrick sighed. **"We'll be along in a few days then, I'll call you when we have an actual itinerary." **

"Alright, take care of my sister." Silva said.

"**Always do." **Patrick replied and then hung up the phone. Silva pocketed the phone again, shaking his head.

"Trouble?" Kalim asked.

"Yes, seems something's happened to Zirca." Silva replied. "Don't know what yet, but she and Patrick will be staying awhile with me while she recovers from whatever happened to her."

"Well, that should be interesting once Hao's living with you." Kalim commented mildly. Silva faltered a step.

"Oh hell, I forgot about that." He groused. "Fuck it, Hao can complain all he likes, it's not as though he can do anything anymore."

"There's still knives." Kalim pointed out.

"I'm pretty sure both my sister and Patrick know how to defend themselves against knives. They're not exactly helpless, you know."

"True." Kalim agreed. "What is it that they do again?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself." Silva shrugged. "Zirca will tell me some things, but she says a lot of it is classified. I know that she gets into dangerous situations though, which has always worried me."

"How do you feel about having Patrick around so much?" Kalim said, a rare grin crossing his face. "The boy has the biggest crush on you."

"He can get quite flirty, but he's respectful too." Silva replied. "He's not going to try and jump me."

"He might." Kalim said.

"No, he won't." Silva replied. "If anything Zirca will keep him in line."

"She could keep a herd of stampeding buffalo in line." Kalim said with a smirk.

"She's very strong-willed." Silva agreed. "I should tell Goldva of this, just in case." He said. "I'll catch up to you in a bit."

"See you." Kalim said as Silva jogged off. Goldva was still in the meeting chamber, looking as though she were meditating on something. Silva coughed politely to get her attention.

"What is it, Silva?" Goldva asked, getting to her feet. "Not more complaints I hope."

"No, I've just got a call from Patrick, you remember Patrick, yes?" Silva asked.

"Your sister's friend, the one who likes to flirt with you." Goldva said.

"Yes, that one." Silva agreed. "He called me about Zirca, he told me something happened to her and she's having a rough time recovering from it. They want to come here to try and help her recover, both of them, since Patrick's apparently keeping her from breaking apart right now. I just wanted to know if that was going to be a problem."

"In regards to Hao, I assume." Goldva commented.

"Yes, that was my primary concern." Silva said. "Along with the fact that we would be bringing an outsider in."

"Zirca pretty well treats Patrick like family anyways." Goldva snorted. "As for Hao, might be good for him to live with a couple of people who are so… different. In any case the two of them would give him the runaround if he tried anything." She added with a smirk.

"That they would." Silva agreed. "So it is okay?"

"Yes, Silva, it is fine." Goldva sighed. "Now go on, you have work to do."


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

It was four days before Patrick and Zirca arrived at the village. Hao had yet to wake up, but the doctors had said that was normal for injuries such as his. Silva was glad that he wouldn't have to deal with both Hao and Zirca and Patrick together yet. Kalim dropped the two of them at his door with their bags and boxes.

Patrick looked up at him with an impudent grin on his face. He was Japanese-American, with ig, nearly black eyes twinkling behind narrow rectangular glasses, which did nothing to hide the ever-present dark circles around said eyes. He was tall and lanky, and thus it was easy to miss the lean muscle beneath his skin until you were actually trying to wrestle with him.

"Hey, sexy man." Patrick greeted him, bouncing in place. "What do I got to do to get you to wear something that shows that body of yours, come on."

"Patrick, please stop." Zirca said, grabbing two bags and heading for the door. She was much shorter than Patrick, and sturdy-bodied. Her dark hair had been cut short, a few scant inches long on the sides and longer on top, straight and teased forward so that the ends flopped over her forehead and nearly into her grey eyes which she rolled at Silva. "Seriously, I will take your dick, and I will throw it into the lake, Pat."

"Stay away from my dick, woman." Patrick said, pointing a finger at Zirca. Zirca snorted and went inside. "She's having a good day today." Patrick whispered to Silva. "Let's hope it stays that way."

"Indeed." Silva agreed. "I like your new hairstyle." Patrick had a mohawk style, which was more of a faux-hawk and was curly, the hair pulled forward over his head. The silvery snake bites in his lip were new as well. The scruffy beard Patrick sported had grown as well.

"You can touch it if you want, I don't mind." Patrick said with a saucy wink.

"You're incorrigible." Silva said.

"Yup!" Patrick agreed with far too much enthusiasm. He picked up his own bags and sauntered into the house. "Hope you don't mind, me and Zir agreed it's best if we share a room, so she's got me on hand when she has one of her night terrors."

"How often does she have them?" Silva asked.

Patrick grimaced and shook his head. "At least once a night." He admitted.

"How often do you help her out with them?" Silva asked.

"You mean like…" Patrick trailed off, wiggling his fingers in the air. Silva nodded. "Only when they get real bad, 'cause she's got to learn how to deal with the emotions herself, you know?"

"I know." Silva agreed. "I just hate to see her hurt."

"You and me both." Patrick said, patting Silva's arm. "Don't worry, she's made of tough stuff."

"It'd be easier if I knew exactly what had happened to her." Silva said. "Why was she wearing pants and a leather jacket, it's usually shorts and a tank top here, and that's if she remembers to put on a top."

"Well, that's part of it." Patrick said. "Best to have her around to explain, even though I'll probably wind up doing most of the explaining myself. Oh, which reminds me, we'll be going to see a psychiatrist once a week outside the village, that won't be an issue, will it?"

"No, we leave all the time, it's not as though you're trapped here." Silva replied. "There's something that I must tell you, but both of you at the same time."

"Tell us what?" Zirca asked. She was leaning against the doorway, watching the two of them. "You two gonna gossip out here all day?"

"Nope, coming in." Patrick said, bouncing his way into the house. Silva shook his head, wondering how someone who got so little sleep at night still managed to have so much energy. Zirca widened her eyes at him.

"Be happy he didn't try and suggest sleeping in the same room as you." Zirca said wryly, pushing off the door frame and heading inside. Silva followed her in and found Patrick perched on the back of the sofa, cleaning his glasses on his t-shirt.

"So do you wanna go first with your news, or should we?" He asked.

"I think our story is going to be more difficult, so I think Silva should go first." Zirca said.

"And that's why you're the brains of this operation." Patrick said, giving her a double-thumbs up.

"Clearly." Zirca said sarcastically. "Well?" She asked Silva. Silva ran through an abbreviated version of the battle and the Great Spirit's decision to strip Hao of his power and make him live with Silva.

"So we're going to have the Big Bad living in the house with us?" Patrick asked. "And here I thought my life would be less interesting away from SHIELD."

"At least he's got no powers, now you can run your big mouth without having to worry about being roasted." Zirca commented.

"So it's fine?" Silva asked. The two of them shrugged.

"We can take care of ourselves, and if he has a shitty attitude we can just mess around with him." Patrick replied. "We're good at that."

"I know." Silva said wryly. Patrick grinned impudently at him. "Alright, what's your story then?"

"You want me to start?" Patrick asked Zirca. Zirca put her knees up to her chest and nodded her head. Silva knew then that whatever was about to be said would be bad.

%&%&%&%

Patrick thought that Silva would need some time to digest what he'd been told, and Zirca probably just wanted to get away for a little bit. He didn't think Zirca could handle her brother having a breakdown, or trying to hug her right now. Silva was just sitting there, still as a statue, and he flinched when Patrick cracked his knuckles and got up.

"Me and Zir are gonna take a walk around the village, okay?" He asked. Silva just nodded vaguely. Patrick took Zirca by the arm gently and got her to her feet. "Come on, Zir."

The two of them went outside, sans shoes; they hardly wore shoes if they were in the village. They walked in silence for a little bit, Zirca staring down at her feet. "Do you think he thinks I'm a monster?" She asked quietly after a little bit.

"What?" Patrick said. "No, Zir, just, no."

"How do you know?" Zirca demanded.

"Did I think you were a monster, ever?" Patrick asked.

"No, but you're weird." Zirca muttered.

"I'm also practically your brother." Patrick said, sighing dramatically. "Which means that once he's got over the shock he will do the same thing that I have done and try to fold you into his arms and make sure nothing bad ever happens to you again."

"You don't know that." Zirca replied rebelliously.

"Oh honey, your brother absolutely adores you." Patrick said. "He's not going to turn his back on you for anything, and you know it. You're just being a Debby Downer now."

"I have every right to be a Debby Downer." Zirca replied loftily.

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to bitch about it, though." Patrick said. "You're sooooo boring when you're ragging on yourself like that." Zirca started to smile. This was how their relationship worked; they snarked and were playfully rude to each other. Honestly it seemed to be the only thing that worked to bring Zirca out of one of her funks right now.

"I hate you so much, you have no idea." Zirca said.

"Ooh, I'm so hurt." Patrick put a hand to his chest and pretended to stagger.

"Don't make me steal your dick." Zirca said, elbowing him in the side. Patrick shoved her, friendly-like. "You are a dick."

"I try." Patrick said loftily. "So what, you wanna go back yet?"

"Naw." Zirca shook her head. "Let's go down to the lake and skinny-dip."

"Oh I like how your evil little mind works." Patrick chuckled. "Race you to the lake!"

Hairstyle pic references:

Zirca: www. hairstylesguide short-edgy-hairstyles/short-edgy-hairstyles-1/

Patrick: -fashion .


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

Hao couldn't figure out what was wrong at first as he drifted on the edge of wakefulness. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. He also couldn't remember what had happened the night before, what he'd done before he'd gone to sleep and that was a little worrying to him, but he felt somewhat distant from it all and that should have worried him too, but for some reason, it didn't.

He tried to open his eyes, which took a couple tries, because they felt so damned heavy for some reason. When he finally did open them he had to squeeze them shut again, because the light was so bright. He winced and cracked one eye open again, trying to get used to the light and figure out where he was.

He started to realize what was wrong as he lay there. It was silent, completely and totally silent. He couldn't hear the wind, or the birds, or the sounds of his followers getting up and going about their day. He opened his eyes completely, ignoring the pounding of his heart and found himself looking up at white ceiling tiles and fluorescent lights.

He looked to his left and saw an IV stand by him, realized he was in a hospital, and finally remembered what had happened before darkness had come crashing down on him. He tried to sit up, and found that he'd been tied down to the bed that he was on. No matter, he could just… He had no power.

With that knowledge in his mind he tried to sit up in the bed, but found that his wrists and ankles were bound to the bed itself. He struggled, pulling at the bonds until a sharp stab of pain in his chest made him stop and just lay there, panting with exertion. He was in a hospital, and he was a captive, that really didn't narrow down the number of suspects who could have done this to him. He'd made a lot of enemies.

He didn't know how long he'd lain there before he heard someone coming close. He tensed up, pulling at the bonds again. A doctor came into his view, and he realized that he must be a captive of the Patch. "So why are the Patch keeping me captive?" he asked as the doctor puttered around, checking things around him.

"Goldva will explain." The doctor, whose name Hao could not think of at this time, replied.

"And when will that be?" Hao demanded.

"Whenever she gets around to it." The doctor replied with an uncaring shrug.

"Can you at least take these off?" Hao asked, tugging at the restraints.

"I'll wait until Goldva gives the okay." The doctor said, already moving from the room.

"Hey, wait!" Hao yelled. It was too late though, the doctor was gone. Hao hissed a curse through his teeth and settled back again. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

%&%&%&%

It felt like hours had passed before Goldva swept in, eying him with contempt. "What have you done to me?" Hao demanded. "My power is bound, how you managed that I do not know-"

"Your power is not bound, it has been completely removed." Goldva interrupted bluntly. Hao felt the blood leave his face completely.

"What?" He croaked out. "I thought the Patch were neutral." He accused.

"We are. The Great Spirit itself carried out your punishment and has given me instructions on how to deal with you further." Goldva explained, not a hint of compassion in her voice. "You tried to take the Great Spirit by force, did you not think there would be consequences if you failed."

"I didn't count on failing." Hao replied. "So now what? Are you going to execute me?" He asked.

"No." Goldva replied. "The Great Spirit wants you alive and well to witness the Shaman King being crowned." Hao felt his insides knot up.

"Wow, I didn't know the Great Spirit held grudges." Hao said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"I think in this case it's willing to make an exception." Goldva replied. "What better punishment for someone who was so desperate to seize power than to watch as someone else gains that power, knowing you've lost your last chance to have it yourself."

"My last chance…" Hao knew what she was talking about. Without his power he could not consciously reincarnate himself to get to the next tournament. Now, when he died, that was it. And even if he could somehow regain power, he would not have time to get to the level he was and beat everyone. He'd been foolish, going for the Great Spirit the way he had, and now he was paying the price. "And where am I to stay then? Here in this hospital?"

"No." Goldva said. "Once you're well enough, you'll be living with Silva." Her craggy face split into a grin, not a kind one though. "It'll be interesting to see how you deal with his other houseguests. Neither of them are shamans, and I've always found the two of them a little cracked in the head."

%&%&%&%

Hao eyed the crutches that had been placed next to his bed with distaste. He was set to be released today from the hospital, as soon as Silva hurried up and got here, anyways. He was impatient to leave and go somewhere where he could actually hear the outdoors. Even a couple weeks of sleeping in the hospital hadn't gotten him used to the silence.

Finally Silva appeared in the doorway and Hao couldn't help the grimace at the sight of him. "I'm just as displeased as you are." Silva informed him coolly. "Come on then."

"And why have they saddled you with me?" Hao inquired idly, struggling to his feet and getting the crutches under his arms. They were awkward and made his arms sore, and he hated the hop-skip walk that he had to do with them, what with his knee in a brace and him not allowed to put weight on it until the brace came off.

"Past sins, apparently." Silva replied shortly. Once Hao had clumped his way over to him he started walking, slowly, so Hao could keep up. Hao thought that was more due to Silva not wanting to listen to him complain than any kindness. Hao limped silently beside him, focused more on not falling on his face than making conversation.

The village hadn't changed too much since his own days as a Patch. The houses had been updated some, and wires ran above and into the houses, carrying electricity and cable, no doubt, but the configuration, and the view, was still the same.

Hao saw Nichrome wandering the streets, but as soon as Nichrome saw him he turned away and hurried off. Apparently taking the Great Spirit was cause for him to abandon his status as one of Hao's. Not that Hao cared at all.

"So, who are these two humans that are living with you now?" Hao asked, trying to break the oppressive silence.

"My sister and her best friend." Silva replied. "And my sister is having a rough time, so you are to leave her alone." Silva added sternly.

"I don't want anything to do with the humans." Hao sneered.

"You'd best hope they have the same opinion about you." Silva warned. "They can be… difficult."

Hao thought it was best that that wasn't elaborated on. They had arrived at Silva's place, a stone house with two stories. Hao remembered that the stone had been cool in the heat of the south and walking inside he was pleased to see that hadn't changed.

"For now the couch is your home, seeing as I don't think you'll be able to make it up and down the stairs so well." Silva said, gesturing to the pull-out couch that was all made up for him.

"Oh hey, is this the ultimate asshole?" Hao looked up as someone poked their head out of the kitchen. A lanky young man moved to lean against the door, holding a bowl and a spoon in his hands. He had a punk look to him, from the style of his hair to his too-tight jeans. Something about him seemed familiar, Hao seemed to recall his long, narrow face, and dark eyes, maybe on someone else, but he couldn't put his finger on whom.

"Patrick…." Silva sighed.

"Ooh, alright, alright, don't bite my head off." Patrick said, grinning. Hao placed his accent as being from Brooklyn.

"Where's Zirca?" Silva asked.

"She was having a bit of a hard time, so I got her to go to bed for a bit, hopefully that helps." Patrick's voice grew softer, gentler. "Might join her for a nap."

"You look like you need it." Hao commented, noting the dark circles around Patrick's eyes.

"Ha, you don't know the half of it." Patrick said with a snort. "Well, won't say it's nice to meet you, because my momma taught me not to lie."

"Likewise." Hao said. Patrick grinned at him and went back into the kitchen. He emerged a moment later and joked up the stairs.

"There's something not quite right about him." Hao commented to no one in particular.

"There's a lot not right about him." Silva muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

Zirca woke up with Patrick curled up against her back, his head dangling over the side of the bed, one leg kicked up against the wall. Patrick had a talent for falling asleep in the most uncomfortable-looking positions. She poked him in the side. He grunted and wiggled, but didn't wake up.

"Hey, did Hao show up?" Zirca asked him.

"Mm-hm." Patrick hummed.

"What's he like?" Zirca prodded. Patrick rolled over to look at her, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses.

"You know what I think I kind of like him already." He admitted. "He snarked back to my snarking."

"Well, if that's not the beginning of a beautiful friendship, I don't know what is." Zirca said sarcastically.

"You're snarking, you feeling better?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah." Zirca said. "I don't remember any nightmares."

"You didn't have any." Patrick said. "That's a good sign."

"One nightmare-less nap isn't really anything to celebrate." Zirca retorted. "In the grand scheme of things."

"Hey, after not being able to close your eyes without having a nightmare, I'd say it's worth celebrating." Patrick said jovially.

"I'm pathetic." Zirca muttered. Patrick gathered her up into his arms in a hug, which, although he was bony as hell, was soft and comfortable.

"You are not pathetic." He told her fiercely. "You are recovering, and you are allowed to be scared, and angry, and sad, and whatever the hell else you wanna feel, okay?"

"You're not my therapist, asshole." Zirca said grumpily. "And get off of me, you smell."

"I showered yesterday, you lying trollop." Patrick retorted, shoving at her. She shoved back, spilling him over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. "Ouch!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Zirca said, finger-combing her hair back into place. "You wanna get started on dinner?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Patrick said, bouncing to his feet. "We're trying that chicken recipe, right? The chicken fingers with paprika and cumin baked into the breading?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Zirca agreed, getting up. "I think we should add a little lemon zest too, to that one."

"Ooh, yeah, that's a good idea." Patrick agreed. "Salad with it?"

"Gotta have something healthy with it." Zirca said wryly. "We got strawberries, sunflower seeds and raspberry vinaigrette for it."

"Yum." Patrick said, popping his fingers, bending them back and forwards. The freaky kid was double-jointed and enjoyed displaying that fact, a little too much.

"Gross." Zirca said, walking out of the room. Patrick snickered behind her and clomped along after her. For such a skinny, lanky boy, he made an awful lot of noise just moving around. Zirca walked down the stairs, saw Hao on the pull-out bed in the living room and decided to completely ignore him and just walked into the kitchen.

"Avoiding feeling the need to punch him through a wall?" Patrick murmured in her ear.

"I don't think Silva would have a problem with that, but Goldva might." Zirca said. "The old lady scares me, I don't wanna be on her bad side."

"You're scared of an old woman." Patrick giggled, rummaging in the cupboards.

"And you're afraid of centipedes." Zirca retorted. Patrick shuddered in response.

"Nothing should have so many legs." He intoned seriously. "It's an affront to god."

"You don't believe in god, idiot." Zirca said, swatting him over the head.

"Alright, enough messing around, let's get down to business." Patrick said, cracking his knuckles again.

"You are disgusting."

%&%&%&%

Hao listened to the two humans bicker and laugh with each other in the kitchen. Silva's sister, Zirca, hadn't even acknowledged him when they'd walked through. Scared? Hao didn't think so. She looked like someone who'd seen battle, even if he could only speculate at body hidden under loose jeans and a leather jacket.

She was stocky, short, probably having a body type much like Goldva instead of the other Patch officials. She was definitely Silva's sister, from her straight black hair, to her hawk-like nose. He hadn't been able to fully see her eyes, but they weren't brown like Silva's. Grey eyes were also common among the Patch, so he guessed that was the colour of her eyes.

A sudden burst of laughter from the kitchen made him flinch and glare. He felt foolish immediately, as there was no one to glare at. He leaned back against the pillows with a sigh. He was bored. Silva hadn't seen fit to leave him anything to read. There was the television, but he didn't know how to work it, and he wasn't interested in that garbage anyways.

"Are you just sitting there, doing nothing?" Hao looked up to find Patrick leaning over the couch, grinning impishly down at him. "God, why don't you turn on the tv or something?"

"Your television is mindless and dull." Hao replied. "I do not engage in anything that's takes no brain cells to comprehend."

"Ahh, so you like intelligent pursuits." Patrick said. He grabbed the remote off the arm of the couch and turned on the television. "I know a few things you might like then."

"I doubt it." Hao scoffed.

"There's these great things called documentaries, and they are about history, science, anthropology, just about anything you can think of." Patrick replied, doing something with the remote. "What do you like, history, space, biology?" Hao remained silent. "Okay, I'll put one of my personal faves on then."

The screen was filled with the image of the ocean and since Patrick had wandered off with the remote, Hao couldn't make it stop. He probably could have smashed the television or something, but that would have required more effort than he was willing to expend at the moment. He winced as his ribs gave a twinge, reminding him how injured he was, and that for once he couldn't heal himself.

The documentary wasn't terrible, to be honest. It was about the life that could be found in the deepest reaches of the oceans. The creatures down there were some of the ugliest things he'd ever seen in his life, and the thought that there was still so much unexplored down there and unknown was surprising to him.

"Why is it that they know so little about the bottom of the ocean?" Hao asked aloud.

"Are you actually talking to me, willingly?" Patrick asked from the kitchen. "The great Hao Asakura, talking to a mere-"

"Alright, enough with your sass." Hao interrupted irritably. He heard Zirca snickering at him.

"Well, part of the answer is funding." Patrick said. "Part of the answer is not being able to accurately figure out where on the bottom a submersible is going to land. Part of the problem is the size of the oceans. Part of the problem is getting something down there that's not going to break. If we could lift off all the water that would solve some of the problem, but well…" Hao could practically hear the shrug in Patrick's voice.

"They said we know more about the moon than the bottom of the oceans." Hao pointed out. "The moon is even harder to get to."

"You don't necessarily have to get to it though, that's the thing." Patrick replied. "You can point telescopes at it and look at things up close without having to be there. Of course we did go there, did you know that?"

"I had heard something to that effect." Hao said. "Seems rather pointless to me."

"Well, some people might think that learning about the deep oceans is pointless too." Patrick pointed out. "After all, how are what's down there going to affect us? And yes, I'm well aware there are things down there that do, but not everyone is educated."


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

The nightmares came, as they always did. Hao woke up, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. He eased himself into a sitting position, breathing deep and slow, trying to calm his racing heart. Why his nightmares persisted, even after so many years, he did not know. Suddenly a new weight settled on the bed and he looked up.

"You okay?" Patrick was awake.

"Why do you ask that?" Hao asked calmly.

"You had a nightmare." Patrick said. Hao frowned at the shape on the bed.

"How did you know that? I do not make noise, do I?" Hao asked, worried that his weakness had been on display for all to see.

"No." Patrick said. "It's…" He sighed. "I should have told you this earlier, but I was focused on making sure Zir was alright."

"Tell me what?" Hao asked. Patrick turned on the lamp that was on the end table by the couch. He was shirtless, dressed in a pair of boxer shorts. His hair flopped to one side, and the rings in his lip were gone, giving him a somewhat vulnerable look. The light highlighted his cheekbones, giving Hao that weird sense of déjà vu again. How did he know Patrick, or someone who was related to Patrick?

"Do you know anything about mutants?" Patrick asked, looking away from him.

"Some." Hao said. "Just what my followers had told me. They have powers, don't they?"

"Some of us do, some of us are just changed, physically, from the norm." Patrick replied.

"So, you are a mutant then?" Hao asked. Patrick nodded his head slowly. "What can you do then?"

"My ability is psychic in nature." Patrick said. Hao couldn't stop himself from jerking back from him, wincing as he did so. "Don't worry, I'm not in your head right now. Can't be."

"And why is that?" Hao demanded.

"My power is limited." Patrick replied. "I can't 'hear' anything in your mind, unless it's nightmares."

"You… you 'read' nightmares?" Hao asked, horrified. That might have been worse than knowing Patrick could read his mind, at least he could control the direction his own thoughts went in. Nightmares were uncontrollable however, and revealed his weaknesses.

"Yup." Patrick sighed, sounding weary. "Can't much control it either, unless I'm awake. When I'm asleep and other people are having nightmares around me they become my nightmares. If there's more than one person having a nightmare, it becomes a confused conglomeration of every nightmare being had around me. I mean, there's a reason I don't sleep so much at night." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Seems like an unfortunate ability to have." Hao commented.

"Not all powers are fun." Patrick agreed. "There is a few upsides." He added. "If I concentrate on someone I can make them live their nightmare while they're awake. Gotten me out of a tight spot a time or two, I can tell you that. I can also take away nightmares, take them into myself, but I only do that if the nightmares are really bad."

"And what do you plan to do with the knowledge of my nightmare?" Hao asked, deciding to get straight to the point.

"Nothing." Patrick replied glibly.

"Nothing?" Hao repeated.

"What, you think I'm going to holler it from the rooftops that you've had a nightmare?" Patrick asked. "Look, I got my own morals, and one of my rules for myself is I don't talk about what I 'hear' from people, even to them, unless they ask me to talk about it."

"Why would they ask you about them?" Hao asked.

"Psychology." Patrick answered. "They wanna try to work through the nightmares, or figure out how to make them stop, that sort of thing."

"You really wouldn't talk about what you've seen from me, to anyone?" Hao asked in disbelief.

"What the hell do I have to gain from that?" Patrick asked.

"Humiliation." Hao replied darkly.

"Okay, from what I understand you are already being humiliated, what I could do would only be adding salt to the wound, and I'm not that petty." Patrick replied, his Brooklyn accent deepening and his arms flapping about in his agitation. "Maybe if you'da done something to me in the past, if I had a personal beef with you, but I don't know you from Adam, and quite frankly, I don't really care. Look, if you're uncomfortable with me bein' around you, then me and Zir will find some other house to stay in here."

"Why?" Hao asked.

"Because it's your mind and your privacy that's being invaded, and I'd rather live somewhere that people are comfortable with me." Patrick replied with another careless shrug.

"But you'd still be able to 'hear' me, right?" Hao prompted. Patrick nodded his head. "Then what's the point of moving?" He asked irritably.

"Sometimes people feel better if they can't see what's making them upset." Patrick said.

"I'd feel better if I could keep an eye on you." Hao grumbled. "If you're going to be here, then I don't care if you're in this house."

"Well, that's good news at least." Patrick said, giving him a lopsided grin. He raised his arms above his head, popping his joints. Hao noticed a pair of strange, semi-circle shaped scars underneath his nipples.

"What are those from?" He asked.

"Surgery." Patrick said cheerfully. "They removed my boobs."

"They removed your…" Hao trailed off as understanding dawned on him. "I've been getting odd vibes from you and now I know why. You were born female?"

"Designated female at birth, yup." Patrick agreed. "Have a vagina, uterus, used to have boobs. I'm what you call trans, if you're not sure what the right word is. I am a man though." He added sternly.

"Of course." Hao said haughtily. "You think that the modern culture is the only one that ever recognised those whose bodies did not match their souls?"

"Right, you were Patch." Patrick said, nodding her head. "None of the people here even bat an eyelash at me."

"Even with your power?" Hao asked. "Or do they know?"

"They know." Patrick said. "I'm not comfortable with people knowing, but I'm even less comfortable with them not knowing. My teacher taught me well."

"Who taught you?" Hao asked.

"Only one of the most powerful telepaths in the world. Professor Charles Xavier." Patrick said with pride. "This is a man who could get inside your head, strip your mind of thought and make you think you're someone else completely, and he spends his time teaching children."

"Why?" Hao asked. "With all that power, why?"

"That's just the way he is?" Patrick replied. "I guess he feels that it's a better use of his time."

"Like you don't use your power to make people fear you?" Hao asked.

"Yeah, like that." Patrick said. "Not like it causes long lasting trauma either, which makes it easier for me to use against enemies if I must."

"How do you know it doesn't?" Hao asked.

"We ran tests. Subjected volunteers to my ability to make them live their nightmares and monitored their reactions after." Patrick said. "After I've stopped, about five minutes after they've 'woken up' they very vaguely remember their nightmare, and after ten they don't remember what they've seen. They know what I did only because they were told. Otherwise they've completely forgotten the incident. And Professor Xavier made sure that they had no other trauma, no reactions to things that they might see in real life that were in the nightmares."

"What if they had?" Hao asked. "What if they had trauma? How would you have dealt with that?"

"The Professor would have erased those memories, whatever it was causing trauma, with their permission, of course." Patrick said. "You gonna go to sleep again, or stay awake, 'cause Zir's probably going to wake up soon and we usually just stay up watching movies or something."

"I'm not going back to sleep." Hao said, wincing.

"Ah, pain?" Patrick asked.

"None of your business." Hao snapped.

"Whoa, okay, no need to bite my head off." Patrick said with a grin. "I'll just shut up and put on another documentary, shall I?"


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Silva was only slightly surprised to get downstairs in the morning to find Patrick and Zirca in the living room with Hao, watching some documentary on the lost city of Atlantis. Patrick was easy to get along with, easy to relax around, which, according to him, made him a great asset for SHIELD. Silva wasn't sure what that meant, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I love all the conspiracy nuts that blame everything on aliens." Patrick was saying. "They're hilarious."

"You don't believe in aliens?" Hao asked. Patrick snorted out a laugh and Zirca hid her smile by pulling up her sweatshirt's hood over her face.

"Oh man, that's funny." He said, running a hand through his hair. "I'm guessing you didn't see the sky open up over New York and let out a horde of aliens."

"You're messing with me." Hao said flatly after a moment of silence.

"I most certainly am not." Patrick replied. "I'll show you the footage and newscasts sometime. Of course after that's when they started running all the alien conspiracy shows again, that's why it got popular again."

"When was this?" Hao asked.

"Few months ago." Zirca said. "We weren't in the battle itself though."

"Not Manhattan anyways." Patrick corrected. "But, that's classified."

"I still don't get what SHIELD is." Hao complained.

"Well, that's the way we like it." Patrick replied. He looked up and met Silva's eyes. A gorgeous grin spread across his face. Silva was, admittedly, attracted to Patrick. He just thought that Patrick was a little young for him, twenty years old, for goodness sakes, to his thirty. Not to mention he was Zirca's best friend, which added a certain level of weirdness to the whole thing. Patrick being trans had nothing to do with it though.

"Well, look who decided to finally wake up." Zirca said. "Come on Pat, let's get breakfast going."

"Aww, but he came down with no shirt on." Patrick pouted. "I wanna ogle him for a bit."

"Which is exactly why I said it." Zirca replied. "Come on you horny loon." She said. Patrick followed her into the kitchen, grumbling softly to himself.

"I take it Patrick told you about himself?" Silva asked.

"Which part?" Hao replied.

"Oh, he told you about being trans, gay and a mutant?" Silva asked with some surprise. Usually Patrick was more reluctant to talk about being trans, but perhaps since he knew Hao had been a Patch once he felt as though Hao wouldn't care.

"Well, I deduced the being gay myself, but he told me about being trans and a mutant." Hao replied. "His power is… interesting."

"I know it can be disconcerting, knowing that he can see inside your head, even if it is only when you have nightmares, if it makes you uncomfortable-"

"He already gave me the spiel last night." Hao interrupted. "I declined his offer to move elsewhere, seeing as he'd still be able to 'hear' me."

Whatever reply Silva was going to make to that was forgotten as soon as he heard a crash and a cackle of laughter from the kitchen. "I'd better go make sure they're not destroying anything." Silva said with a sigh. Truthfully he was glad to get away from Hao's accusing stare.

%&%&%&%

Hao found to his dismay that at least Patrick had thought it was a good idea to join him on the pull-out couch for breakfast. Of course that meant that Zirca had to come along, and then, rather than sit by himself, Silva had reluctantly sat down in the living room as well. Patrick put on cartoons, and laughed like a hyena every time one of the characters got hit with something, which happened a lot.

"This is pointless drivel." He complained, stabbing at his pancakes, which had raspberries in them and were topped by fresh whipped cream.

"It's Looney Tunes!" Patrick retorted. "This stuff is classic. Come on, you can't tell me you didn't have comedy back in the time of the dinosaurs."

"I wasn't born in the time of the dinosaurs." Hao countered. "I was born a thousand years ago."

"It's a joke." Patrick said, looking somewhat pained. "Good god, don't you have a sense of humour."

"You know, for a guy that doesn't believe in god, you use his name a lot." Zirca commented.

"You don't believe in god?" Hao asked. He understood atheists, at least those that had never seen spirits or had power, but Patrick was well aware of the Great Spirit and shamans, shouldn't he believe in god.

"In a sense I do." Patrick said. "I believe in a higher power, but I don't believe in any of the gods that human beings have and do worship. I believe it's something more subtle than that."

"What of the Great Spirit, isn't that proof of god?" Hao asked.

"Way I understand it is that the Great Spirit is the amalgamation of all those that have died in the past, so while powerful, it's not god as defined by human religion." Patrick replied. "Also, I've met someone that was worshipped as a god, but he's just a being from another dimension, so there's that too to consider."

"Wait, what?" Hao asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Patrick said, patting his shoulder. Hao was about to retort when he realized that Patrick was teasing him.

"I'm assuming that you are a mutant as well." Hao said instead, turning to Zirca. "Since you and Patrick seem so close."

"Yeah, what of it?" Zirca said grouchily.

"Come on, Zir, be nice." Patrick cooed. She gave him a dirty look. "She's just testy because the coffee hasn't kicked in yet."

"I'll kick you in." Zirca muttered. "But yes, I am a mutant too. Pat and I met at school."

"And, what do you do?" Hao prompted.

"I have superstrength, it's not that exciting." Zirca said with a shrug.

"How strong?" Hao asked.

"Strong enough to move a tank." Zirca replied. "Strong enough to shatter bones if I hug someone too hard."

"Oh, that sounds interesting." Hao commented.

"Well, that's why I went to mutant school in the first place, to learn how to touch people without hurting them." Zirca shrugged.

"And you met Patrick right away?" Hao asked.

"Naw, Patrick came a few years later." Zirca said. "I'm twenty five, he's twenty after all, he didn't get his power till he was fourteen. I was old enough to be his mentor by that point."

"I was a spazzy little shit back then." Patrick said fondly. "Didn't have a clue about myself, just knew my skin didn't seem to fit right. Zirca helped me figure myself out, saved my life."

"Saved your life how?" Hao asked.

"You know how many trans kids commit suicide?" Patrick replied simply. "I got lucky with my folks though, soon as I told them I was a guy, they just started calling me their son, no questions asked, same thing with bringing my first boyfriend home, they didn't even mind that he had scales. I'm one lucky kid." He said with a carefree grin.

Hao saw the ghost of another smile just like it in his mind's eye, but the identity of the one who had it eluded him again. 'Who are you?' He thought to himself. 'Who is it I see in your face and smile?' He kept his thoughts to himself though, reluctant to voice his suspicions until he knew exactly who he was looking for.


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

Patrick and Zirca could hear the yelling long before they could even see the house. They'd left that morning for Zirca's appointment with her psychiatrist and now it was early in the afternoon. Patrick had no doubt in his mind who was doing the yelling.

"Taking any bets on who started it?" He murmured to Zirca. Zirca snorted and shook her head.

"Could've easily been either of them." She replied. "You know how my brother can be."

"Oh, I do." Patrick agreed with a wicked grin.

"Oh god, why do I talk to you?" Zirca groaned.

"Because everyone else is too scared of you?" Patrick replied. She gave him a look that plainly told him he was treading on thin ice. "So what you wanna do, drag your brother out, see if I can talk to Hao?"

"He does seem to tolerate you." Zirca agreed. "Alright, let's see what all the yelling is about."

"Ladies first." Patrick said, bowing mockingly. Zirca rolled her eyes and shoved past him into the house. Hao appeared to be screaming in Japanese at Silva, who was bellowing back in the Patch language. "Wow, this is interesting." Patrick commented loudly. "Leave you two alone for a couple of hours, and you're at each other's throats. Do we need to get you a babysitter?"

The two of them stopped yelling and looked up. Silva began to look a little sheepish, but Hao just glared at the two of them. "Wow, if looks could kill, you'd be on your way to the morgue." Zirca commented. She walked over to Silva and grabbed his arm. "Come on, shit for brains, we're going for a walk."

"But-" Silva protested. Zirca was already dragging him away though.

"So, who stuck a bee up your ass?" Patrick asked when they were gone. Hao just continued to glare at him. "Alright. Hey, you ever had corn nuts?" He asked, holding up the baggy he'd gotten from the bulk food store while they were out. "Zirca says they smell like ass but I think they're delicious." Hao still didn't say anything. "Alright, whatever dude."

Patrick ambled into the kitchen, looking for a cola to drink. He noticed the sandwich and fruit salad they'd left for Hao this morning to have for lunch was still in the fridge. He picked it up and went back into the living room. "You didn't eat your food. What the matter, got something against bacon." Patrick asked, dangling the plate in front of Hao's face.

Hao snatched it away from him, taking a big bite out of his sandwich. "Jesus, have you eaten nothing since breakfast?" Patrick asked, flopping down on the pull-out bed. Hao gave him a poisonous look, to which he simply stuck out his tongue and puffed his cheeks out.

"Charming." Hao commented. "And no, I have not had anything to eat since breakfast."

"Why not?" Patrick asked.

"I asked Silva to bring me the food that you left me, and he refused." Hao explained stiffly.

"And then you two got into a screaming match, right?" Patrick asked. Hao narrowed his eyes at him. "You know what, sometimes Zir is a lot like her brother, okay? Here's my question, did you ask, or demand? Because there's a difference."

"I asked." Hao growled.

"Bet you didn't." Patrick replied.

"Go away." Hao said.

"I kind of like it here, actually." Patrick replied. "So he refused to help you, and because of your own pride you refused to get up and get it yourself?"

"How am I supposed to carry something and use those damned crutches at the same time?" Hao snarled.

"Ahh, you have a point." Patrick admitted. "You gotta think about how this feels for Silva though, he's not always gonna be easy for you to deal with, and it'd be easier for both of you if you tried to at least act civil to each other."

"Why should I?" Hao demanded.

"Because he could hurt you?" Patrick suggested.

"He wouldn't dare." Hao retorted. "Goldva wants me alive to see the Shaman King get crowned." He added moodily.

"Well, he can still make your life miserable." Patrick pointed out.

"My life is already miserable." Hao huffed.

"Okay, more miserable then." Patrick said, rolling his head. "You're a melodramatic little shit, you know that?"

"I think I'm entitled to that, seeing as my whole life is now just meaningless." Hao replied angrily.

"Wow, now you sound like some of the kids that would come to the school." Patrick said.

"What are you talking about?" Hao sighed.

"Mutant kids. 'Ohh I'm a mutant, my life is over now' is what you'd often hear from newbies." Patrick said. "They hear the hype and think that being a mutant's a death sentence, when it's really not. Not saying that their feelings aren't valid, they just gotta adjust to their new reality."

"How did you adjust to yours?" Hao asked.

"At first I was ecstatic." Patrick replied. "Thought maybe being a mutant was the reason I felt so wrong. But it turned out that wasn't it. Honestly my power freaked me out for a while, but after a bit I kind of got used to it, mostly by not sleeping at night."

"So you're saying I'm being melodramatic." Hao said.

"Look, I'm not trying to belittle what you lost, I mean it's like losing a limb, right?" Patrick said. "But the world keeps turning and you find new things to do."

"Except that was all I was alive for." Hao growled. "Don't you get it? A thousand years of planning, all for nothing."

"Hate to tell you this, but considering what you were planning, I'm pretty damned glad you can't do it anymore." Patrick said. "My parents are human, as well as a lot of the coworkers I actually happen to like."

"You think I care?" Hao asked.

"Shit, I know you don't care." Patrick replied. "I'm just saying, if you're looking for sympathy, I'm not your guy."

"Then why are you here?" Hao demanded. "Why talk to me?"

"Because for some ungodly reason I happen to sort of like you." Patrick replied. "Don't ask me why, Zir would just say I'm crazy and she's probably right. I'm just saying, about Silva, might be better not to poke the bear."

"Are you suggesting that I just lie down and show my belly to him like a dog?" Hao demanded.

"Interesting metaphor, and no, that's not what I'm suggesting. Nothing is saying that once you're strong enough to make it a good fight, that you can't give as good as you get from him." Patrick said. Hao stared at him for a moment.

"You have a nasty streak." He said. "I think I like that."

"Hey, don't mess with the Hufflepuff, we act all sweet and cuddly, but we're just lulling you into a false sense of security." Patrick said with a grin.

"I have no idea what you just said." Hao said. "Is Zirca doing what you're doing right now?"

"Naw, she probably just threw Silva into the lake to cool him off." Patrick said. "They'll yell at each other for a bit and then come back, all better." He shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be good for Zirca, to lose her temper at someone other than me."

"What does that mean?" Hao demanded.

"Never you mind, nosy parker." Patrick replied, tweaking his nose. Hao snarled and batted his hand away. "I'll be catching a few z's, holler if you need something."


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was finishing his sandwich when Zirca and Silva came stomping back in, both of them soaking wet. "Have a nice swim?" He asked snidely. Silva glared and stormed up the stairs, but Zirca actually grinned at him.

"Starting to see why Pat likes you so much." She commented, hands on her hips. Her jacket was gone and Hao could clearly see scars around her wrists that suggested that she'd been restrained for some time, as well as scars that were just circles of raised skin, marching up her arm in a straight line.

"What are those?" He asked.

"None of your business." She replied tersely.

"There are way too many touchy subjects in this house." Hao commented.

"I could say the same about you, couldn't I?" Zirca pointed out. "No body knows hardly anything about you."

"That's exactly how I like it." Hao replied.

"And my job requires me not to talk about certain things, and there are certain things I don't like to talk about either." Zirca sighed. "The short story is I was tortured, and that's all I'm going to say right now." She headed up the stairs.

"You can't just drop something like that on me and leave!" Hao protested.

"Yes I can!" She called back. There was a yelp and then Patrick's crazy hyena laugh from upstairs. A few minutes later the two of them came barrelling down the stairs, making enough noise to put a herd of bison to shame.

"Hey, you like omelettes?" Patrick asked, sticking his head out of the kitchen. "Neither of us feels like doing anything real fancy tonight."

"Depends on what you're thinking of putting in them." Hao replied.

"Garlic, cheese, asparagus, bacon." Patrick replied.

"Why more bacon?" Hao asked.

"Because you can never have enough bacon." Patrick laughed. "So, what do you say?"

"Omelettes are fine." Hao sighed.

"You know you can turn on the TV yourself." Patrick commented, walking over and grabbing the remote.

"I wouldn't even begin to know what to do with it." Hao replied blandly.

"Well, the number buttons will take you to different channels, and so will the channel buttons. I can leave you a list of channels you'd probably be okay with watching so you don't have to go searching through every channel… oh hey, Stark's on the news." Patrick said, stopping on the image of a short man with dark hair and goatee, and a shit-eating grin on his face. "Hey, Zir! Stark's got himself into some kind of trouble again!"

"What else is new?" Zirca demanded. Patrick chuckled and changed the channel to something about the formation of the solar system.

"Who is Stark?" Hao asked curiously.

"Tony Stark. Used to manufacture weapons but had a 'coming to god' moment after getting kidnapped and stopped. Became the super hero known as Iron Man in the process." Patrick explained. "He was one of the ones defending earth against that alien invasion in Manhattan. Took a nuke through a portal, nearly died."

"Superheroes?" Hao repeated incredulously.

"There's a number of them around these days. You got the Avengers, the X-Men, some freelance guys like Daredevil, seems like they've come outta the woodwork in the last little while." Patrick explained.

"You're not a superhero?" Hao questioned.

"Naw, me and Zir, we do the dirty work." Patrick replied.

"Come on asshole, I'm not making these omelettes myself." Zirca called.

"Coming dear!" Patrick said sweetly. He winked at Hao and sauntered off. Hao settled down, rubbing at his sore ribs. He hated not being able to just heal himself instantly. He thought he dealt with pain very well, but it seemed being able to instantly heal himself had lowered his tolerance to pain. He despised feeling like an invalid.

"What do you mean by dirty work?" Hao called.

"That's classified!" Patrick and Zirca chorused.

"I'm going to be hearing that a lot aren't I?" Hao asked.

"Yes, yes you will." Patrick replied, poking his head in to stick his tongue out at Hao.

"Mature, real mature." Hao muttered.

The omelettes were done a few minutes later. Silva came down briefly to grab his omelette, and then slunk back upstairs. Zirca called him a few choice names in the Patch tongue. Hao caught the snort of laughter from Patrick and stared at him.

"Zir taught me the language." He explained.

"Why?" Hao asked. "The Patch don't readily give out our secrets and our language is one of those secrets."

"Pat's pretty well a brother to me." Zirca shrugged. "Initially I taught him in because there were a few here that would talk about him behind his back. I decided to arm him against things like that."

"Besides that, the Patch language is known by so few, it's been a big help to us when we've suspected that we're under surveillance but still need to talk about our work." Patrick added.

"What kinds of things would you be talking about… no, I know, classified, right?" Hao asked wryly.

"Now you're getting it." Patrick said, thumping him on the back. Hao glared at him and he put up his hands, grinning widely. Hao was hard pressed not to smile back at the impish young man. Perhaps it was okay to like him, being as he wasn't an ordinary human being. "So here's something that I've been trying to get my head around."

"What?" Hao sighed.

"Your family tree." Patrick said. "Let me see if I've got this straight. So your first life was in Japan, where you started the Asakura family, yeah?"

"Yes." Hao said.

"Then in your second life, you were a Patch, and Silva and Zir's direct ancestor." Patrick went on. "And in this life you were born back into the Asakura family, and your brother, the kid that Silva was helping, is also your descendant. So technically speaking the Patch and the Asakuras are related in some convoluted way."

"I guess you could look at it that way." Hao said after a moment's thought.

"You have the most twisted family tree I've ever seen, and I've met Wolverine." Patrick said. "You know that means we're kind of related." He added to Zirca.

"Ugh." Zirca replied.

"Wait, what?" Hao demanded.

"Oh yeah, I was adopted when I was four, when you showed up, but I was born into the Asakura family." Patrick said calmly. Hao stared at him, mouth agape. Patrick grinned at him widely. "So I'm your brother, yeah."

The pieces clicked into place. Hao knew Patrick's face because it was an Asakura's face. He looked like Mikihisa, at least what Mikihisa looked like before he'd burned half his face. He could see similarities to Yoh now too, the kind dark eyes and easy smile were the same as the younger. Hao hadn't put it together because the other Asakura child he'd known about was a girl. He could have kicked himself for not seeing it sooner.


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Hao tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The revelation that Patrick was family was still weighing on his mind, and he was trying to decide if it changed anything between them. When he heard Zirca crying out in her sleep he gave up on trying to sleep and sat up, turning on the television. After a moment he heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Well, you must be bored if you're willingly turning on the boob tube." Patrick said, flopping down on the bed.

"Not like I can do anything else." Hao groused.

"What if I help you up to the roof and we can star gaze for a bit?" Patrick asked.

"Anything would be better than lying here." Hao replied.

"Alright then, up you get." Patrick said with a grin, springing to his feet. He helped Hao up the flights of stairs that led to the roof, coaxing and coaching him how to maneuver with his crutches. Hao finally found himself sitting on the edge of the roof, feeling weary but accomplished.

"You know I kinda miss the days where I could look up at the stars and just wonder if there was anyone else out there." Patrick said. "Now I look up and wonder if the people out there are going to try and invade us."

"I'd like to hear the whole story of this supposed invasion." Hao said.

"I can tell you at least most of it, because it was public." Patrick said. He then told a story about Loki coming to earth and unleashing an army on Manhattan while six superheroes stood against him.

"Six against an army?" Hao said in disbelief.

"Well, the Hulk is as good as an entire army, and they did have Thor." Patrick said. "But once they destroyed the mothership all the Chitauri kind of just flopped over dead, so the theory is that they're a hive mind." Patrick shrugged. "After that it kind of became open season, with aliens from every corner of the universe seeing if they were any better than the Chitauri. Every time the Avengers has made them run off with their tails between their legs, or whatever appendages they had."

"Sounds unbelievable." Hao commented.

"Hey, you've lived three times and consort with spirits." Patrick pointed out. "A lot of people would consider that unbelievable."

"True." Hao conceded. "So you don't enjoy looking up at the stars anymore?"

"Wouldn't say that." Patrick replied. "I'm just more aware that they're not just little points of light far, far away."

"How come you hadn't said anything before today about your parentage?" Hao asked. "Did you not want me to know?"

"It just didn't occur to me that I should." Patrick said.

"Why?" Hao asked.

"Because I don't think of myself as an Asakura." Patrick replied. "They gave me up when you were born, because apparently it was too dangerous for me to stay." He rolled his eyes at that. "And yet it was apparently safer to place me with a family that had no powers of their own. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that someone wanted me out of the family because I had no power of my own."

"I wouldn't put it past Yohmei, the old schemer likes to play with people's lives." Hao commented.

"When I was little, I thought being adopted was the thing that made me feel wrong in my skin." Patrick said quietly. "I always thought it was something I'd done wrong and tried to be the best I could, but my real parents never came for me. I finally accepted it when I was ten. My mom and dad now are the best parents I could ask for. They've supported me through everything, my mutation, coming out, and then starting transitioning. I got real lucky. Don't know if I'd been that lucky if my biological parents had kept me, do you?"

"I don't know." Hao admitted. "I don't have much contact with the Asakura family, besides Yoh. He certainly would be accepting, the boy doesn't have a nasty bone in his body."

"Been hearing stories of him from Silva's phone calls and emails." Patrick replied. "Seems like a cool kid."

"He's a fool." Hao huffed.

"Now why do you say that?" Patrick asked.

"He believes in the goodness of mankind." Hao replied.

"Well why not?" Patrick said. "After seeing six people and countless police and army personnel face down an alien army and do their best to protect the other people in the city instead of turning tail and running away, I'm certainly willing to believe in humanity."

"Then you foolishly do not see the damage they cause." Hao replied angrily.

"Actually I do." Patrick replied, his voice hard. "I see it in every kid that would show up at school, nowhere else to go and often terrified of themselves and everyone else. That's because of their parents, because of their friends, because of their teachers, because of everyone who thinks that mutants are monsters. Like I said before, I got very lucky with my parents."

"I'm sorry, I didn't even consider that." Hao said softly.

"Look, I know humans can be awful, but I also know they can be wonderful." Patrick said. "Maybe instead of killing us all, maybe you can coax that wonderful side of us out."

"It's a non-issue now, seeing as I'm never becoming the Shaman King." Hao pointed out.

"True." Patrick said. "I still think your way of looking at humanity is shit though. Take it from a guy who can, and has been hated just for being gay, trans, a mutant, or any combination of those three."

"Humans are idiotic for hating someone for things they can't control." Hao said.

"And yet you do the very same thing." Patrick pointed out. "You hate all humans, thinking they're all the same, don't tell me that's as idiotic."

"I don't think that it is nearly the same." Hao growled.

"It definitely is." Patrick said. "You've become the very thing you hate."

"You know what I've lost thanks to them!" Hao shouted before he could stop himself.

"And that makes it alright?" Patrick demanded. "You think you're the only person who's lost a parent to hatred? Does it really give you the right to pass judgement on everyone? Do you really think that it will make your mother proud of you?"

"SHUT UP!" Hao roared.

"Deep down you're still that scared little boy wanting his mother." Patrick said.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Hao screamed.

"Or what?" Patrick taunted. "You can't do anything to me, nothing that I can't deflect anyways. How does it feel to have nothing to shut me up with?"

"I don't need power to kill you." Hao snarled.

"You forget, I'm a spy, if I can't stop someone from killing me with a knife or something then I wouldn't have lived this long." Patrick said with a derisive laugh.

"You're an asshole." Hao growled.

"Yup." Patrick agreed. "And this asshole is going back downstairs to talk with someone who doesn't make me feel like getting into a cat fight."

"Wait, how am I supposed to get back down?" Hao demanded. Patrick halted and his dark eyes softened a touch.

"Well I suppose I can't just leave you up here, you'll just holler and scream until you wake everyone up." He said. Hao gratefully leaned onto him as they headed down the stairs.

"Thank you." Hao said quietly, when he was on his bed. He didn't relish a night out in the open, not in the desert.

"Hey, I may be an asshole, but I ain't heartless." Patrick replied.


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

Hao woke from a nightmare where every person he killed turned into his mother, shaking and crying. When he felt the presence beside him he jerked away, glaring as much as he could in his compromised state. He wasn't expecting Zirca to return his stare with a bland one of her own. She didn't say anything as Hao got his shakes and his tears under control.

"You shouldn't be ashamed, for having nightmares." She finally said.

"I suppose you never feel ashamed for yours." Hao bit out. She stared at him silently for a long moment, her grey eyes bleak.

"I was on an undercover mission that went sour." She said finally. "Woke up strapped down to a cold steel table in what amounted to a mad scientist's laboratory. They knew what I could do, so the straps were strong enough to prevent me from escaping, not that I didn't try." She said, gesturing to the scars on her wrists.

"What did they want from you?" Hao asked.

"They were looking for ways to control people, with drugs." Zirca replied. "They were some of those people that don't consider mutants people, so it was easy to test those drugs on me. Some made me sick, others made me hallucinate, others just made me hurt. In between tests they found other ways to torment me."

"Do they have to do with the other scars in your arms?" Hao asked.

"They inserted little… I don't even know what to call them, but they were like metal pills inserted beneath my skin, not only on my arms, but my legs and my spine as well." Zirca bared her teeth. "Their only purpose was to cause pain. At the press of a button they would create a zap of electricity. Those bastards delighted in hurting me. One day, exhausted and angry I snapped, going into a berserk rage, managing to free myself and killing everyone unfortunate enough to get in my way. It was lucky that SHIELD had figured out where I was by that point, and they were able to take me down before I hurt innocent lives."

"Good god." That was the only thing Hao could think to say, the horror of what Zirca had been through had shut down his mind.

"When I came back to myself, in SHIELD medical, I was angry and scared. Scared because I thought that I might snap again, hurting someone I cared about." Zirca went on. "I drove everyone away, yelling and swearing at them. Everyone but Patrick. He refused to leave me alone, refused to let me suffer, refused to let me see myself as a monster. Eventually he managed to convince me to come back here, thinking it would be easier for me to heal away from work."

"He is rather persuasive." Hao agreed.

"Yeah, he's a pain in the ass that way." Zirca said fondly. "He helps with my nightmares too, which happen pretty well every night."

"I think you have every right to have nightmares, after what you've been through." Hao informed her.

"That's what everyone says. It doesn't make me any less ashamed for waking up screaming or crying though." Zirca replied. "I think it has to do with knowing what I was getting into when I agreed to work with SHIELD, and still having the same nightmares over and over, despite months having gone by. You start to feel like you should be over it by this point."

"I don't think it works that way." Hao said.

"I know it doesn't." Zirca agreed. "That doesn't stop me from feeling it, no matter how much I know that I have every right to be scarred by my experience. Recurring nightmares imply something weighing on you so much that it makes its way to your subconscious and into your dreams. Maybe you don't even realize it weighs on you either. So whatever wakes you up every night, it's got to be something that really made an impact on you. You don't have to talk about it, but if it's something that does weigh on you that much, then maybe you should think about talking to _someone_ about it."

"Like who?" Hao scoffed.

"Me and Pat both talk to a therapist." Zirca said. "And by definition a therapist is bound professionally to never talk about what their patients talk about to them, so it's not as though you'd have someone spreading whatever it is you need to get off your chest around."

"You really think a therapist would be able to deal with me?" Hao queried. "I've lived three lives so far and that's only the beginning of my oddities."

"This is a SHIELD trained therapist. Let's not forget that SHIELD dealt with an alien invasion, as well as a thunder god, and a supersoldier from the second world war who was found frozen in ice, alive. I think she can deal with you."

"One of these days I'm going to have to hear all these stories." Hao muttered.

"There's a lot of them." Zirca said. "Not all of them from SHIELD either, we got plenty from school too. Guess that comes from having mutants of all types in the same building. Don't know how many times Logan and Scott destroyed sections of the school with their arguments."

"Why are you down here, instead of Patrick?" Hao asked curiously.

"He's still peeved about whatever you two argued about on the roof." Zirca replied. "Asked me if I would come down and check on you."

"So, obviously not that peeved then." Hao said.

"Naw, kid can't hold a grudge to save his life." Zirca said. "By the morning it will be like nothing happened."

"Now that I know he's related, he reminds me a lot of Yoh." Hao commented.

"Well, from the stories I've heard I'd say you're somewhat right." Zirca said. "They're both rather easy going, but Yoh sounds like the type to laze away the day doing nothing, perfectly happy at rest, right?"

"Yes." Hao agreed.

"Patrick's more manic, always moving, always got talking, I mean you've seen the guy." Zirca said.

"I have." Hao said. "He does like to nap." He pointed out.

"That's only 'cause he doesn't sleep at night." Zirca reminded him. "I'd have to say the attitude towards death is different too."

"What do you mean?" Hao asked.

"How many times could Yoh have gotten himself out of a scrape faster and with less damage if he'd injured or even killed someone? And how much you wanna bet he's still beating himself up about killing you, right?" Zirca said.

"Probably yes." Hao replied, shaking his head.

"Pat's killed people, in self-defence, or in defence of others." Zirca said. "So have I. I wouldn't say he's okay with killing, but he understands the necessity of it in times of trouble. He will grieve for those that he's killed, but he knows how to kill."

"Yoh doesn't." Hao said. "Even his attempt to kill me in that last battle surprised me."

"Desperation." Zirca replied. "The weight of billions of souls on his mind."

"He wanted to save everyone he ever met, no matter what they'd done." Hao said.

"An admirable quality, but not a realistic goal." Zirca said. "Sometimes people need to die."

"Like me?" Hao asked.

"Well, you're not much without your power." Zirca replied. "And killing you only made you stronger the next time around when you did have your power, so there's always some things to consider. You know SHIELD had contingency plans for you, if you ever proved to be a national or international threat."

"Like what?" Hao asked.

"Classified." He and Zirca chorused together. Hao made a face at her, which made her mouth quirk up in a smirk.

"Would your plans have worked?" He asked.

"Most likely." Zirca replied. "SHIELD doesn't like to leave loose ends."

"Would you have been involved?" Hao asked.

"No, but Pat might have." Zirca replied. "Psychic abilities, even ones as limited as his would be useful in keeping you distracted." She said, coolly certain of herself.

"That's not a terrifying notion at all." Hao commented. Her replying savage grin was all gleaming white teeth.


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Zirca was right about Patrick. When the morning came he was cheerful as he ever was, turning on the television to some kid's show that featured a magic school bus. When Hao complained, Patrick launched into a lengthy rant on the state of children's television programming and the greatest educational but still entertaining kid's shows from his childhood.

"You had to get him going, didn't you?" Zirca grumbled at Hao as she shepherded Patrick into the kitchen to get breakfast going.

"It doesn't seem to take much." Hao replied. Zirca let out a short laugh at that. "Why do you two experiment with food so much?"

"Well, we've always thought, when our career with SHIELD was over, that we'd open up a restaurant somewhere." Patrick replied. "Figure we'll make it a pub setting, somewhere relaxed and fun, you know?"

"We'd like to get out of SHIELD before it claims our lives." Zirca added.

"Claims your lives?" Hao repeated.

"Average life span for a SHIELD agent that works in the field is less than fifty years." Zirca explained. "It's just a dangerous line of work."

"So why do it?" Hao asked.

"Because we think it's worth it." Zirca shrugged. "Firefighters and police officers and military personnel know they're taking their own lives into their hands every day and they still do it. Why do you think that is?"

"Because they think that giving their lives are worth it if they can save someone else?" Hao guessed.

"Precisely." Zirca said. "SHIELD deals with threats on an international level, terrorists, spies, assassins, mad scientists, that sort of thing. It's dangerous, but worth it when it saves lives, keeps dangerous items from getting to the wrong people, you know?"

"So you would die gladly, doing your job?" Hao asked.

"Oh we'd fight tooth and nail to avoid death, but we wouldn't not take a mission just because it was dangerous." Patrick said. "Neither of us figure this is what we wanna do for the rest of our lives though, especially after Zir's incident."

"She told me about that." Hao said.

"Figured she would." Patrick replied. "Nasty, huh?"

"How can you still want to help people when things like that happen?" Hao asked Zirca, honestly confused.

"Because people like us exist all over, people who are willing to do whatever it takes to make the world a little better, a little safer." Zirca replied. "A good example of someone turning themselves around would be Tony Stark."

"Who? Wait you mentioned him before." Hao said.

"He used to design weapons for war." Patrick said. "Didn't much care until he got a first-hand look at what they were being used for, and the innocents they were being used on. Had a coming-to-god moment while he was kidnapped, decided to scrap the whole weapons business, nearly bankrupted his company, and then as an added bonus, became Iron Man, a superhero who's nearly died two or three times now to protect other people."

"Most notably during the Battle of Manhattan, he took a nuke that was aimed at the city, flew it through the portal to outer space, knowing that his suit didn't have the necessary capabilities for space travel, and knowing that they were going to have to close the portal, whether or not he made it back through."

"What's your point?" Hao asked.

"Our point is that people can change." Patrick said. "Give them a chance."

"I've been giving humanity a chance for a thousand years." Hao replied stiffly.

"Bet you haven't." Patrick replied. "You know, when you're looking for one thing, that's all you're going to see. So if you're only looking for the bad things about humanity, you're not going to see the good things they do at all."

"Whatever." Hao growled, deciding it wasn't worth arguing about further.

%&%&%&%

"Why do you argue so much with him?" Patrick opened his eyes and looked down out of the tree he'd fallen asleep in at Silva.

"Well, now there's a nice sight to wake up to." Patrick said cheerfully. "Better than my dreams."

"You just never stop, do you?" Silva sighed, shaking his head. Patrick was happy to see a smile on his face though.

"I hope eternally that I will wear you down somehow." Patrick said with a wink. "Why do I argue so much with who?"

"Hao, of course." Silva said. "I hear you, poking at his hatred for human beings, why do you bother?"

"Look, I got a feeling that his reasons for hating them aren't the real reasons behind the hate." Patrick said. "If I can get him to admit that, maybe I can talk him around."

"Do those feelings have to do with his nightmares?" Silva asked.

"You know I can't tell you that." Patrick said to him.

"Not even if it's Hao?" Silva asked.

"Look, if I start doing it to one person, what's stopping me from doing it to someone else?" Patrick replied. "Besides, he trusts me right now, and I don't wanna break that trust."

"You genuinely like him, don't you?" Silva said, sounding baffled.

"Well, yeah." Patrick said. "You gotta understand, I look at things a little different since being with SHIELD. I wanna try and get Hao back into the world."

"Why do you care so much?" Silva asked.

"Someone's gotta." Patrick shrugged. "Don't think he's had someone to care about him for a long time."

"And what he's done means nothing to you?" Silva asked.

"The Black Widow was an assassin before SHIELD got to her, given the orders to kill she did it no matter who the person was." Patrick said. "SHIELD was going to kill her, but instead they decided to bring her in. She's a SHIELD agent now, works to try and make up for the lives she's taken."

"You think you can do the same with Hao?" Silva asked after a moment's thought.

"I think he deserves a chance." Patrick replied. "A chance to be better."

"You really think that he can change?" Silva asked.

"Why not?" Patrick replied. "I don't think he's a monster."

"Yoh was like that too." Silva said. "But he moved to kill Hao in the end."

"Only because Hao gave him no other options." Patrick replied. "Bet he was trying to change Hao's mind before that though."

"He was." Silva agreed. "Look how well that turned out."

"You may be right." Patrick conceded. "But I've talked to the guy a lot and I think there's something worth saving in him. Call me crazy, but I think I might actually be getting through to him."

"If anyone can, you can." Silva said.

"Does that mean I'm getting through to you?" Patrick asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Silva. Silva just rolled his eyes and walked off. Patrick chuckled, taking a moment to appreciate Silva's ass in the tight jeans he wore and then went back to his nap.


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Hao felt actual anticipation for the first time in weeks. He was finally getting the awful cast on his leg and would be able to walk around without crutches. "Betcha you're real happy about not having that big old clunker on your leg anymore." Patrick commented, bouncing along beside Hao. He'd offered to escort Hao to the hospital, instead of Silva having to do it.

"Yes, now I can finally escape that couch, and that TV." Hao said.

"Aw, you like the TV, admit it." Patrick teased, a big grin on his face.

"Fine, I don't like the couch however." Hao replied. "Too much traffic, not enough privacy."

"I hear you there." Patrick said. "It's a good thing Silva's got an extra room you can use, otherwise you'd be bunking with someone else."

"Thank god for that." Hao agreed. "So you only sleep in the same room as Zirca because of her condition?"

"Yeah, pretty much. She feels better knowing I'm around." Patrick said. "I might bunk with you some night, see how she does without me around, see if she's ready for that, you know? That wouldn't bother you would it, because I don't think that Silva would go for me sleeping in the same room as him."

"Wow, I wonder why?" Hao rolled his eyes. "I'd place bets on you trying to get into his bed within an hour."

"Hey, I'm not a complete horn dog." Patrick protested. "It's the worst right after I take my testosterone shots. Good god, the only thing I can think of when I do have them is sex."

"How much has your body changed since you started testosterone?" Hao asked curiously. "I mean obviously you didn't have facial hair, but has anything else changed?"

"I'll have to show you pictures of what I looked like before, because I don't think anyone who knew me in high school would even recognise me anymore." Patrick replied.

"Why Patrick?" Hao asked. "You couldn't have picked something Japanese?"

"Patrick Stewart is one of my heroes." Patrick replied. "I thought I'd honour him." Hao gave him a blank look. "Oh my god, Patrick Stewart? Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation?"

"I don't watch TV, remember?" Hao replied.

"Well, we're going to have to get you into Star Trek, because it is fantastic." Patrick said.

"You think a show about a magic school bus is fantastic." Hao pointed out.

"That's because it is!" Patrick exclaimed, flapping his arms about. "Fun and educational, it's perfect. Doesn't try to shove information down kids' throat, but isn't stupid and lacking in anything resembling a plot or themes like the kids' shows I've been seeing everywhere these days."

"I'll have to take your word for that." Hao commented. He was huffing and puffing by the time they got to the clinic, but reminded himself that he would be able to get himself back to his former strength after today.

The doctor who was to take off the cast was the same one who been around when Hao had woken up. Hao wasn't sure he trusted the man not to 'accidently' slip with the saw and cut through his leg along with the cast. Only when the cast fell away did his grip on the edges of the examination table relax. The doctor poked at his knee a couple times and then stood.

"You're free to go." He said blandly and then left the room.

"Hey, you're supposed to do an X-ray, hey!" Patrick called, but the doctor was already gone. "Prick." He muttered. "Remind me not to get injured while I'm here, I don't think I trust that guy."

"None of them are happy about me being here." Hao replied, putting both feet on the floor. He stood up slowly, noting with satisfaction that there was no pain in just standing. He began to walk around, annoyed that he was limping, but certain that it would go away the more he moved. He looked up to find Patrick frowning at him. "What?"

"I don't know." Patrick replied. "I'm just not sure that leg of yours looks right."

"I haven't exercised it, or been able to bathe it, in weeks, of course it doesn't look right." Hao replied impatiently.

"You're probably right." Patrick shrugged. "Let's get you home so you can actually get it clean." He added with a grin.

"You're an irritation." Hao commented as the two of them began to walk.

"That's what Zir tells me." Patrick replied. "Ooh, she and I are going to have to make something special to celebrate!"

"Getting my cast off as an excuse to go all out cooking?" Hao asked.

"No excuses, I at least genuinely like you and you would consider this cause for celebration." Patrick replied.

"True." Hao agreed. "What are you thinking of making?"

"Not tellllliiiinnnngggg!" Patrick said in a sing-song voice. "And you're not allowed in the kitchen for the rest of the day, you or Silva."

%&%&%&%

Silva returned home at the end of the day, tired from repairs of the arena for the tournament and ready for something to eat. Something smelled delicious too, savoury and meaty and he immediately began salivating.

"Don't bother." Hao commented as he walked through the living room on the way to the kitchen. "They've kicked me out three times already."

"That's you." Silva replied tersely.

"Whatever." Hao said, shrugging his shoulders and turning his attention back to whatever television program he was watching.

Silva walked to the kitchen, but was halted at the door by Patrick standing in front of it, blocking him. "Sorry, kitchen's closed." He said with a grin. "Come again soon."

"Patrick, it's been a long day, I'm hungry." Silva sighed.

"Good!" Patrick chirped. "Then you'll have plenty of appetite for the meal we're making. Until then you're not allowed in the kitchen."

"And here I thought you couldn't resist me." Silva couldn't resist saying.

"Doesn't mean I don't want to make you squirm a little." Patrick replied with a lecherous grin. "Now shoo, or I'll have Zir throw you out."

Silva was left to sigh and make his way up to his room, ignoring Hao's smirk, and trying to ignore his stomach's rumbles.

%&%&%&

Dinner was worth the wait, even if it had been torture having to smell it for the entire afternoon and not be able to even take snacks from the kitchen. Zirca and Patrick had made a massive pot of chili, expertly spiced and accompanied by cheese fries which were perfect to dip in the chili. Dessert was just as good, a fresh strawberry shortcake.

Hao hadn't felt bad about taking seconds of both chili and cake, in fact, his asking for more only seemed to make Patrick and Zirca happier. He sat back in his chair, sighing in contentment. He was full, but it was a good full. Judging by Silva's groan, he'd probably eaten a little too much.

"Wow, we didn't leave much for leftovers." Patrick laughed, looking into the pot.

"I'm guessing it was worth the wait then?" Zirca commented. "All that whining for nothing."

"I wasn't whining." Hao protested.

"Who said I was talking about you?" Zirca replied, giving her brother a look.

"I don't whine." Silva said.

"Oh yes you do." Zirca said.

"No, I don't." Silva argued.

"Hey, since we made the food, and it's Hao's celebration, that means you get to clean up." Zirca told Silva. "Get to work, brother dearest."


	13. Chapter 13

Star: This chapter contains spoilers for the Winter Soldier, so you have been warned. I own nothing!

Hao paced as much as he could, still limping on his bad leg. Patrick and Zirca had been recalled to SHIELD about a week ago for some reason that they would not tell him. They had said they would only be a day or two, but now it was coming on a week.

Silva was tense too, and the overbearing worry hanging over both their heads had led to a couple of screaming matches in the last couple of days. With Hao now able to stand on his own, the fights had nearly come to blows, but Silva had pulled back each time, retreating to allow them both to simmer. Hao hated to admit it, but he missed having Patrick around to lighten the mood.

When the door finally opened to reveal Patrick and Zirca, Hao exploded at them. "Where the hell have you two been?" He demanded. He was about to say more when he caught the bleak, shell-shocked expression on Patrick's face. Whatever happened, it was bad.

"Sorry, had to spend a couple of days in the hospital, got shot." Patrick said softly, hand over his stomach.

"What happened?" Silva asked. Zirca was supporting Patrick and she helped him sit down on the couch.

"SHIELD is gone." Zirca said. "We're out of a job."

"How can SHIELD be gone?" Silva asked after a moment of shocked silence.

"It's a long story." Patrick groaned. "Starts back before SHIELD was even founded."

"Should you be resting?" Hao asked, seeing the pain on Patrick's face.

"No, not right now." Patrick replied. "I slept most of the ride here. I'm not going to make Zir tell this story on her own."

"That bad?" Silva asked.

"While not nearly as nightmare inducing as my torture, it's going to haunt us for a long time." Zirca replied.

Patrick started talking, telling the story of Captain America in World War Two and how he took out Hydra, a Nazi organization. Hao listened as they told them how Peggy Carter became the founder of SHIELD, an organization that would keep the world safe.

They then told them how soon after the two of them got to the Triskelion, they found out that SHIELD had been infiltrated by Hydra from the start, and they were making big moves. Patrick broke down in tears as he talked about the agents that fought against Hydra, trying to prevent millions from dying. Patrick and Zirca had been holding off a team of Hydra agents themselves, trying to buy time to get the other, non-field agents out of the building, when Patrick was shot.

"So now SHIELD's gone, everything in the databases is out there for everyone to see and apparently the organization we thought we were working for didn't exist." Zirca said. "All that good work, and the whole time there were Nazis working behind the scenes, pulling the strings where they wanted them to be."

"We stopped them, that's the important thing." Patrick said, taking her hand. "And those SHIELD agents who believed in SHIELD proved themselves today, even if a lot of them lost their lives."

"So, what now?" Silva asked.

"Lay low for a little while, see if we get any calls, other than that, I don't know." Zirca shrugged.

"Looks like you'll be able to open that restaurant after all." Hao said to Patrick. This at least managed to coax a brief smile onto his face. It was so unnerving to see Patrick like this, looking like he'd been beaten down, and Hao didn't know what to do about it. It just felt so wrong not to have Patrick joking and smiling.

"At least my treatments are paid for already for the next few years." Patrick sighed. "I contacted the surgeon who's going to be doing my bottom surgery, and he said that the appointment still stands and that I'll keep receiving testosterone."

"What would you do if you weren't?" Hao asked.

"I've got quite a bit of pay saved away, but I'd have to get a job right away if I wanted to keep it that way." Patrick replied. "There's no way I'm going off T now."

"That's something at least." Silva commented.

"Since when do you see the silver lining?" Zirca asked.

"Since the one who does is obviously having trouble doing so." Silva said. This coaxed another fleeting smile from Patrick. "Maybe you should go rest." Silva added worriedly.

"I'm fine." Patrick said.

"Pat, a few days ago the doctors dug a bullet out of your gut. You shouldn't even be out of the hospital yet, but you're too damned stubborn to stay down." Zirca said. "Go to bed before I drag you upstairs an tie you to your bed."

"Fine, fine." Patrick sighed, getting slowly to his feet. Zirca put an arm around his shoulders and helped him up the stairs. Hao and Silva watched them go, both silent as they contemplated what this turn of events meant for Patrick and Zirca.

%&%&%&%

Silva couldn't sleep. What Patrick and Zirca had told them that day was churning in his mind. Imagine, working for an organization and finding out that it was infected with Nazi ideals. The thought of anyone being able to take out millions of targets at a time gave Silva the shivers; he could only imagine what Patrick and Zirca were dealing with right now.

He finally threw off his blankets and got up. He checked Zirca and Patrick's room, finding Zirca sleeping peacefully for the moment, but no Patrick. He quietly peeked into Hao's room, but Hao was sleeping as well, and Patrick wasn't around. After a quick look around the main floor, Silva walked up to the roof, finding Patrick sitting on the edge of it, looking up at the stars.

"Can't sleep?" Silva asked, sitting down next to him.

"Won't sleep." Patrick said, closing his eyes. "Don't want the nightmares tonight."

"Have you been sleeping since?" Silva asked, seeing the weary look on Patrick's face.

"Here and there." Patrick replied. "I just don't want to see their faces."

"Whose?" Silva asked.

"The people who died, the people I knew, the people I'd worked with day after day, dead trying to prevent Hydra's plans from succeeding." Patrick said. "Worse though, were the ones that I knew that turned out to be Hydra. Having to fight against someone you've known for years, knowing they were the bad guys all along."

"I'm sorry." Silva said, at a loss of what to say.

"Have you ever experienced something so horrible, so completely soul wrenching, and you didn't know what to do about it?" Patrick asked.

"I've felt that, once." Silva said. "When Hao stole Yoh's soul from his body. All the sudden, Yoh was just gone. His body was still there, and the worst part about it was that it was still breathing, still had a heartbeat, but Yoh, what made Yoh who he was, was gone. And for all we knew he didn't exist anymore, for all we knew his soul had become one with Hao's."

"I can see why you don't like having him around then." Patrick said. "What happened with Yoh?"

"He managed to break free of Hao's control, and return to his own body." Silva said. "He then defeated Hao."

"So it turned out right in the end, for you." Patrick said. "I killed someone I knew that day." Silva glanced at him, startled. "Come on, you knew that what I do isn't always nice, I've killed people."

"Yes, but it's something I've never thought of you doing." Silva replied.

"Well I have, and I did." Patrick said. "Did you know that if I try hard enough I can kill someone with my power? I just have to make them live through their most terrifying nightmares, make it so real, and they have a heart attack."

"I didn't know that." Silva said quietly.

"It's not something I enjoy doing." Patrick replied grimly. "But I had to. He wouldn't have backed down, and I was out of bullets…" Tears began to fall down Patrick's face and he put his head in his hands.

Silva hesitated only a moment before bringing the younger man into a comforting hug. He ran one hand through Patrick's hair, noting briefly that it was very soft, and, without thinking, kissed his forehead. Patrick just buried his head in Silva's chest though, arms tightly grasping him as he sobbed out his grief and guilt.


	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing!

Hao decided, since Patrick and Zirca were still dealing with the fallout from SHIELD, that he would make breakfast. After a few minutes of deliberation he decided to make crepes with a pureed peach and raspberry sauce and more fresh fruit to put on top of them. He put his hair up in a ponytail to keep it up out of his face and got to work.

After a little bit he got the sense he was being watched and turned. Silva was staring at him, mouth open in shock. "You going to make yourself useful, or are you just going to gawk?" Hao snapped. Silva's mouth snapped shut and he glared at Hao. "Why don't you set the table or something, since I'm the one actually doing shit right now?"

Silva gave him a dirty look, but began setting out plates and cutlery on the little kitchen table they had. He even started brewing coffee, which was something that Hao hadn't thought about. "I didn't know you cooked." Silva commented.

"I don't just try to take over the world and kill people you know." Hao said. He frowned; his sense of humour was being infected by Patrick it seemed. He wasn't sure if he was put out by that or not. "I preferred to cook for myself, most of my followers didn't know their way around a microwave, let alone a stove."

This prompted a snort from Silva, and when Hao looked up, he found Silva studying him, his expression unreadable. Hao mentally shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth asking about and prompting another argument. Silva was probably just wondering if being able to make breakfast was something most evil people could do or not.

"Ooh, something smells delicious." Patrick said, wandering into the kitchen. He looked exhausted, and judging by the way he chugged down one mug of coffee before pouring himself another he probably hadn't gotten any sleep at all last night.

Zirca came in just as Hao was plating the food, yawning. She flopped down into a chair and put her head down on the table. "Hey, I went to the trouble of making food, you can at least eat it." Hao said, tapping her on the top of her head.

"You're a pain in the ass." She groused, lifting her head. She perked up though when she saw what was on her plate. Patrick was already on his second crepe and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. "You can see why we never have leftovers." Zirca observed wryly. Patrick showed her a mouth full of half chewed food and ducked the piece of strawberry Zirca threw at him.

The joking around was promising. Hao hoped that it meant that the two of them were going to bounce back from this okay. The fact that he even cared how they were dealing with this made Hao shake his head in disbelief at what he had become.

"Dude, you are so hired." Patrick sighed, leaning back in his chair. "What do you think, Zir, can we work with him?"

"I'd argue about his attitude problem, but we've got those too." Zirca replied. "Save us the trouble of having to interview for one more chef."

"Are you being serious, or just playing around?" Hao asked.

"We're being serious." Patrick said. "I mean, haven't you given any thought of what you're gonna do when the tourney's over?"

"I thought I'd be executed." Hao replied.

"Doesn't make much sense." Zirca said. "I mean, why not let you live in a world being changed by a Shaman King that's not you? Worse punishment than dying."

"That makes a disturbing amount of sense." Hao said, wrinkling his nose at her.

"Yeah, and you need something to occupy your time then, so why not come with us and help us open our restaurant?" Patrick said. "You've got the skills for it, and you know you can work with us. I even thought of a name for the place. The Twisted Tree, in honour of your convoluted relationships with the two of us."

"You're very strange." Hao said.

"Is that a no?" Patrick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll take your offer under advisement." Hao replied. Patrick snickered, pushing his plate away.

"Shotey not doing the dishes!" He declared, putting one finger on his nose.

"I set the table." Silva said.

"You all suck." Zirca groused, giving Patrick and Silva dirty looks. Patrick flipped her off and stood up, quickly kissing Silva on the cheek and sauntering out of the kitchen. Silva followed swiftly, though not swiftly enough for Hao to miss the reddening of his cheeks.

"You saw that, right?" Hao asked Zirca as she began to clear the table.

"Oh, I saw it." Zirca said. "It's about damned time too."

"You don't have problem with the two of them being together?" Hao asked.

"Why would I?" Zirca asked.

"You're always getting annoyed with Patrick when he flirts." Hao pointed out.

"That's because Patrick is annoying when he flirts." Zirca said, rolling her eyes. "And I like poking fun at him."

"So you wouldn't have problem with him being with Silva?" Hao asked.

"Nope. My brother is far too serious, and Patrick keeps on his toes, which is a good thing." Zirca said. "As for Patrick, Silva's something of a steadying influence on him, one of the few people that can get him to sit down and calm down for half a second, which, again, a good thing. I know Silva likes Patrick in that way, he's just hung up over the whole age thing."

"They do have a bit of an age gap between them." Hao agreed.

"They're both adults now though." Zirca said. "The only time age gaps are a real problem is if one person is underage, or even still a teenager in my opinion. Pat may be a bit immature, but he's mature enough that his antics don't completely annoy Silva."

"Not completely?" Hao asked.

"Well, he just annoys everyone in general, something would be wrong if he wasn't seen as somewhat annoying." Zirca said, filling the sink with suds. "Thanks for this, by the way."

"For what?" Hao asked haughtily. "I just figured if I wanted breakfast I'd better do it myself, since you two were having emotional crises."

"Yeah, sure." Zirca said with a smile. "Your heartless bastard act doesn't fool me."

"Damn it." Hao muttered. Zirca snickered at him. "Am I allowed to blame Patrick for making me go soft?"

"I blame him for everything, so go ahead." Zirca said with a careless shrug.

"Are you two really serious about me working with you?" Hao asked suspiciously.

"Look, Pat likes you, and for some ungodly reason I'm starting to like you too." Zirca said. "The amount of people that could work around Patrick's level of insanity is short to begin with, and then you gotta factor in the gay and trans thing, so yeah, we're pretty serious about this."

"You like me?" Hao asked incredulously.

"Surprisingly, yes." Zirca said. "Don't go spreading it around."

"Doubt anyone would believe me." Hao said. "That Patrick, he's something else."

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific about what you mean by that." Zirca said, putting clean dishes on the drying rack.

"His power." Hao said. "He could use it to control people, he could use it to humiliate people, but he doesn't even speak about what he 'hears', not even to the people he 'heard' it from."

"Well, Pat's a good person." Zirca said. "Better than most sometimes."

"He reminds me of Yoh sometimes." Hao said. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, because Yoh, I always thought of him as naïve, but Patrick, he's not naïve, and yet he still is as good as he is."

"Naiveté and goodness are not symbiotic concepts. Yes, it's easier to be good when you don't know anything about the world, but that doesn't mean that when you've seen horrible things you can't be good." Zirca said. "Did you ever see yourself as good?"

"I saw myself as necessary, good wasn't a factor in that." Hao replied.

"Maybe that was the problem." Zirca commented.


	15. Chapter 15

Star: I own nothing!

"You know, you really shouldn't be limping like that still." Zirca commented, watching Hao moving around the kitchen.

"I don't get it either." Hao replied, frowning. "It doesn't hurt, it just doesn't feel quite right."

"Well, get that pie in the oven and let me have a look at it." Zirca said. Hao gave her a dubious look. "Hey I've been trained in your basic SHIELD field medical. Can't always assume there's gonna be a hospital nearby, sometimes you gotta sew someone up or splint a broken leg, you know?"

"Fair enough." Hao said. He put his pie, an experimental mixture of apple and sweet potato, into the oven and sat down at the table. Zirca sat down beside him and lifted his bum leg into her lap. She wrapped her hands around the knee, feeling around it. Hao was acutely aware of the strength in her hands and knew that if she tightened her grip just a little too much, he'd wind up with shattered bones.

"Aww, jeez, feels like they didn't set it properly." Zirca said.

"What?" Hao asked.

"The bone's healed crooked, it's not taking your weight like it should." Zirca explained. "Basically that doctor was a piece of shit."

Hao let that information sink in for a moment, and then got angry. He started swearing, unleashing a furious tirade against that doctor and his whole situation, switching from English to Japanese, to Patch, to every single language he knew to express his displeasure at the situation. He even pounded the table a few times, which only served to give him sore fingers.

"That was impressive." Patrick said from the doorway. "You gotta teach me what some of those words meant because they sounded nasty."

"So, what do I do now?" Hao asked, calming down a little. "Live the rest of my life with this?"

"Honestly, you'd probably have to get your knee re-broken, by a doctor of course, and reset properly so that it can heal properly." Zirca said with a shrug.

"Fat chance of that happening with any Patch doctors though." Patrick pointed out.

"I know that." Zirca said impatiently. "There are other doctors out there. Once the tourney's over and he doesn't have to stay here we can take him to any doctor, give them some story and have them reset the bone properly."

"Some kind of story?" Hao asked.

"Yeah, any doctor worth their salt is gonna ask why you had it set wrong in the first place and waited so long to get it fixed." Patrick said. "They wanna make sure there's nothing wrong, like you're not being abused or anything, you know?"

"Right." Hao agreed. "So what kind of story do we tell them?"

"I would have said it was SHIELD business and classified, but that doesn't work anymore." Patrick shrugged. "So, maybe we were abroad, on some kind of volunteer trip and you got hurt, but we didn't have proper medical treatment and we couldn't get back before now. Sounds plausible, right?"

"Or we could paint him as an abused child that's just managed to escape his abusers." Zirca suggested. Hao made a face at that suggestion. "It might be believed better than any travelling story, and plus I actually still have my fake ID for Children's Services."

"Really? From the Philly job?" Patrick asked. "We were removing a mutant kid who's psychic abilities were coming in, had to take him out of class. Poor kid, had been abused since he was four, and was trying to hide his abilities. Can't even imagine what woulda happened if his abuser did know about them."

"Why didn't he use his ability to stop the abuse?" Hao asked.

"When you're abused for that long, you don't think about it." Zirca replied. "Professor Xavier's been working with him for about six months now, says he's coming along nicely."

"Now, as for the whole broken knee thing, it's not something we have to really think about yet." Patrick said. "We might be able to find someone through my doctor or therapist who won't ask questions, but, we'll see."

%&%&%&%

Patrick stealthily snuck up on his quarry, finding him sitting in an armchair in the living room, watching the news and talking with Zirca. He attacked, moving quickly and plunking himself down into Silva's lap, earning a grunt of surprise. Silva frowned at him, but didn't tell him off or try to push him off, so Patrick took that as an invitation.

"Sooo, I've been hearing that the tourney's getting started up again next week." He said, draping an arm around Silva's neck.

"Yes, it is." Silva said, sounding suspicious.

"I been thinking…" Patrick started.

"Oh dear." Silva groaned. Patrick stuck his tongue out at him.

"I been thinking, all those food places that are set up for the tourney, think there's room for one more?" Patrick asked.

"You wanna set up shop here?" Zirca asked. "We're only going to be in business as long as the tournament's running." She reminded him.

"Yeah, I know." Patrick replied. "But that gives us time to see if we can actually run a place like that, and if our food's good enough to draw a crowd, you know?"

"So you want to do a test run before putting money out to create a business that may or may not work." Hao clarified.

"Exactly." Patrick said, wiggling himself into a more comfortable position on Silva. "Me, Zirca and Hao, running the kitchen, while our lovely Silva gets to play host."

"Whoa, wait a second, I'm not sure that having me there's a good idea." Hao protested.

"Why not?" Patrick asked.

"Do you know how many people that are going to be here want to kill me?" Hao asked.

"You're going to be in the kitchen, no one's gonna see you." Patrick replied. "And when the day is done we'll sneak you out the back. Anyone sees you and I'll go all nightmare psychic on them."

"You're so weird." Zirca groaned. "Why am I friends with you?"

"I think his other mutant ability is convincing people to be friends with him." Hao said.

"Did you actually just make a joke?" Patrick asked. "Thank the lord, he's actually got a sense of humour."

"God, if I had my power I think I'd set your hair on fire." Hao complained, rolling his eyes.

"I think Fury threatened something like that once." Zirca commented.

"No, I think you're thinking of the time he told me that if I didn't get the hell out of his office he was going to launch me off the Hellicarrier." Patrick replied. "Nick Fury was the Director of SHIELD. Hard as nails and a completely awesome dude. Last we heard he's still alive, probably going after Hydra."

"You didn't want to go with him?" Hao asked.

"Fury would have killed Patrick in less than a week having to deal with him." Zirca replied. "So what of it, brother dearest, is our little food joint gonna be featured in the tournament?"

"I'd have to speak with Goldva." Silva said, shifting underneath Patrick a little bit. Patrick wiggled just a little bit, earning himself a scowl. Patrick gave him his best shit-eating grin. "You're a tease." Silva informed him.

"So my ex used to tell me." Patrick said cheerily. "You think Goldva will go for it though?"

"We're always looking for ways to make more money turning the tournament." Silva shrugged.

"Well, maybe if you didn't all use it up on that massive fucking stadium you made." Zirca muttered. Silva snorted in what sounded like agreement.

"I will speak to Goldva later." Silva sighed.

"Thank you!" Patrick cooed, kissing him on the cheek and sliding out of his lap. He bounced out of the room, enjoying the blush on Silva's face.


	16. Chapter 16

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh Asakura walked the dusty streets of the Patch village and tried not to shiver from the memories of this place. Only a few months had gone by and the memories were like a fresh wound, still trying to scab over. His friends walked beside him, and he wondered if they were remembering too, or if they had completely put the last time out of their minds.

"Hey, there's a new spot to eat!" Horohoro declared, breaking him free from his thoughts. He looked around and saw a sign for what looked to be a pub-type restaurant called The Twisted Tree. "Wonder what that's about?"

"Why don't we go find out?" Yoh replied with a shrug. "It's about lunch time anyways."

"Alright, food time." Chocolove cheered. Ren elbowed him in the side, but they headed into the building. The lighting was dim, but not so dim that it was hard to see. The walls had various vintage posters on them as well as interesting road signs. It had a friendly atmosphere, and wasn't too full yet.

"Hello again." Silva said, walking up to them. "Nice to see you all." Yoh grinned at him happily. "I'll get you seated."

"So what's with the new restaurant?" Horohoro asked.

"My sister and her best friend are hoping to open a restaurant for real, they are treating this as a test run." Silva replied, seating them and handing out menus.

"Didn't know you had a sister." Yoh commented.

"She doesn't normally live at him." Silva replied with a shrug. A clang along with a laugh rang out from the kitchen. "That's Patrick, he's… interesting."

"Interesting? That's a nice thing to say about your boyfriend." Someone called from the back. Yoh watched Silva flush under his tanned skin and chuckled.

"Well, congratulations, I think." Yoh said. Silva shook his head and wandered off to help someone at another table.

"Ew, there's a burger with peanut butter and bananas on it here." Horohoro commented. "Who'd eat that?"

"I don't know, sounds interesting." Yoh replied, looking at the menu himself. There was poutine, burgers, chicken wings, and all sorts of food. All of it seemed to have some sort of twist on it, the chicken wings were tandoori spiced and the poutine had the option of having putting chicken or pork on it.

When Silva came back to take their order, he decided to take a chance and ordered the peanut butter and banana burger. When Silva took their order to the kitchen, he heard a crow of triumph from within. Silva came out of the kitchen, but a hand shot out and dragged him back inside by his belt. After a moment he emerged again, looking rumpled.

Yoh grinned, hoping that he would meet the mysterious Patrick sometime, he seemed like fun. They talked quietly, amongst themselves and with Silva, until the food came. Yoh's friends watched him as he lifted his burger to his mouth and bit into it, peanut butter dripping off it onto his hands and smearing his face.

"That's good, actually." He said, licking peanut butter off his face. "The peanut butter's not really sweet, so the banana is a nice counter to it." He was getting peanut butter on the fries that came with his meal. He took a bite of one and decided that peanut butter French fries should be on every menu ever.

A hand dropped onto his shoulder as he finished his meal and he looked up into the grinning face of a young man that somehow seemed familiar. Big dark eyes framed by soft lashes and lopsided glasses blinked benignly down at him and silver rings gleamed in his bottom lip, giving him a slightly dangerous look.

"So, what do you think?" He asked. "Neither Zir or Silva would touch it, so I've had no guinea pigs yet to test it on."

"it was really good." Yoh replied. "Could I make a suggestion?"

"Fire away." The young man replied with a careless shrug of his shoulders.

"Some kind of peanut butter sauce for the fries, maybe." Yoh said. "I got some peanut butter on the fries and it tasted good."

"Now there's a good idea." The young man said, his smile threatening to split his entire face in half. "Patrick Fukui, nice to meet you."

"Yoh Asakura." Yoh replied.

"Ahh, so you're the one Silva's got all the stories about." Patrick said. "Hope to see more of you, maybe use you as a guinea pig again."

"Pat!" A small, stocky girl called from the kitchen door. "This ain't social tea, you got work to do."

"Coming, dear!" Patrick replied. "Better go before she drags me back." He winked at Yoh and sauntered away, confidence in every inch of his long, skinny body. Yoh could only dream of the day he felt that confident.

%&%&%&%

"So that was a good first day." Patrick said, turning off the ovens and giving the counters a quick swipe with his cloth.

"Not too busy, not too quiet." Zirca agreed.

"And no one suspected I was here." Hao added. "Which is the most important thing."

"Maybe to you." Patrick said, tweaking his nose gently. "The most important thing is that someone liked my burger!"

"That someone was our brother, and he eats just about anything." Hao replied. "He may not be the best guinea pig."

"Alright, Mr. Pessimism." Patrick said, flicking his towel at Hao. "Come on, let's get home, celebrate."

"You use any excuse to celebrate." Zirca teased.

"Hey, may as well, life's too short and all that jazz." Patrick said with a shrug. "I think he's hurting."

"Who?" Hao asked.

"Yoh." Patrick replied. "He hides it well, but I'm trained as a spy, I see things. He's hurting."

"Why would he be hurting?" Hao asked, looking blank. Patrick rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't know you're alive." He said. "He thinks he's a murderer."

"A killer of a man that was trying to destroy billions of people." Hao replied. "Why would he feel bad about that?"

"He's just a kid." Zirca said. "Maybe he thinks he should have done something more, something else."

"We're taught and trained to kill, and then we've got therapists to talk to when we wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares where our hands are covered in blood." Patrick said. "He's got no one but his friends, who probably tell him to get over it, because they don't think he should feel bad about it."

"I still don't see why." Hao replied. "He did what he needed to do."

"Doesn't mean that it feels good." Zirca replied. "We've explained this, I think. SHIELD agents walk a very thin line to becoming one of the kind of people we hunt down. Best way to avoid that is to make sure we're still thinking of the people that we're up against as people."

"I think I understand." Hao said. "I have long since hardened my heart towards those I killed, especially humans. It made it easier to kill, perhaps too easy."

"At least you get that now." Patrick replied. He poked his head out the back door of the restaurant to make sure they wouldn't be seen. "All clear, autobots, roll out."

"You are such an idiot." Zirca said, brushing past him.

"Hey, do you think Transformers actually exist somewhere?" Patrick asked in reply. Both Hao and Zirca groaned.


	17. Chapter 17

Star: I own nothing!

Patrick stared up at the sky and shut his eyes. This did nothing to block out the nightmares he could hear going on in the minds of the shamans that were now here. Tears coursed down his cheeks at the pain in one in particular.

"Are you alright?" He opened his eyes as Hao limped over to him.

"Lots of people having nightmares." Patrick said, wiping at his eyes.

"Any about me?" Hao asked.

"You know I won't tell you that." Patrick said, smiling wanly.

"Is it really that bad?" Hao asked gently.

"It's no worse than trying to sleep in some of the SHIELD barracks." Patrick replied. "The difference is, some of the people I'm hearing right now are just kids. They shouldn't be having nightmares like this."

Hao put a hand on his shoulder, hesitantly. Hao was very bad at doing anything that required actual physical contact. The first time Patrick had given him a hug he had stiffened up completely, as though he were worried Patrick was about to hurt him. Basically he sucked at interpersonal relationships in general.

"A lot of bad things happened in the tournament." Hao said softly. "A lot of them my fault, either directly or indirectly. You don't have to tell me that there are nightmares about me out there, I already know."

Patrick felt the pain of a soul being ripped away from their body, and the terror of feeling consciousness and everything that you were being slowly eaten away and clenched his hands tight. He wondered if Hao knew exactly what he had done. He wondered if he would even care.

"Are you alright?" Hao asked again. Patrick looked up at him and found that Hao was standing out of arm's reach, looking wary.

"Just, some of the things I'm seeing make me a little angry, it's nothing for you to worry about." Patrick said. "If I didn't like you, then it might be a different story."

"Duly noted." Hao said. "Can't you block them out?"

"I can, but I'm not used to this much mental traffic, my shields aren't at their best." Patrick replied. "Give it a couple days and I'll be able to block everything, but right now I'm being overwhelmed."

"I'm guessing you won't be sleeping much for a while." Hao said.

"Not at night, anyways." Patrick replied. "I'll nap before work starts and after we're done, don't worry about me."

"You're sure?" Hao asked. "Wouldn't want you falling asleep over a hot stove."

"Hey, don't worry about me, I've gone with less sleep for longer than this." Patrick said with a lopsided smile. "I know when I'm reaching a breaking point. It ain't pretty, let me tell you. Usually involves screaming and hallucinations, so I try not to let it get to that point."

"When's the last time you did that?" Hao asked.

"Ahh, when I was training for SHIELD." Patrick replied. "Learned my lesson after Agent Sitwell came after me with a tranquilizer."

"If you need to sleep during the day, I think Zirca and I can handle the restaurant on our own." Hao offered.

"Aw, don't worry about it." Patrick said. "Me and Zir got this all planned out. Been doing shit like this for years. Nice to know you care."

"Yes, well…" Hao trailed off, looking mildly embarrassed. Patrick grinned; not long ago Hao would have brushed off that comment, saying that he was just making sure he didn't have to do so much work. Funny how a little time and affection can change people.

"You should get some sleep at least." Patrick said. "No sense in both of us being exhausted."

"I can function on very little sleep probably as well as you can." Hao replied. "I've trained myself that way."

"You know, if you wanna keep me company, all you gotta do is say so." Patrick commented. "You don't need to make up some bullshit excuse."

"Alright, I'm concerned about you." Hao said. "I'd rather make sure you're doing alright than leave you alone."

"See, was that so hard?" Patrick asked.

"Yes." Hao responded tonelessly. Patrick cackled with laughter and saw a faint smile tug at the corners of Hao's mouth. Hao sat down next to him, dangling his legs over the side of the house. Patrick leaned over, letting his head rest on top of Hao's.

"Seriously though, I think I'd kick you off this roof if I didn't like you." Patrick said. "And if I didn't think you actually felt a little bad about the things you did."

"It got too easy." Hao said. "Too easy to justify killing, too easy looking at other people as though they weren't quite real."

"That's the line you walk." Patrick said. "I think we've talked about this before."

"Maybe." Hao agreed. "How many people have you killed?"

"Honestly?" Patrick said. "I don't keep count. I remember their faces though, especially the ones that might have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, guards, lower level employees, that sort of thing. You can't stop and check to see if the person you're killing is really a bad guy when you're on a time limit, you know?"

"What do you do then?" Hao asked. "How do you stop feeling like you're dirty?"

"By reminding myself how many people are safe because of what I've done." Patrick replied. "And by remembering the lives I've taken. Remember them as people, not as dead bodies. If I know names, try to make sure the next of kin is notified. Little things to remind myself that I'm still a good person. Talking to a therapist helps too."

"So you've said." Hao replied.

"Offer's still open, our therapist won't mind another patient." Patrick shrugged. "You wanna get shit off your chest with someone who's trained to deal with that shit and who is never going to say a word to anyone about it ever, therapist is the route to go."

"What, you don't want to hear about my terrible childhood?" Hao asked, humour in his voice.

"Fuck, I got enough problems without having to hear about yours." Patrick said. "And I know about your shitty childhood, remember? At least the parts you dream about anyways."

"Right, almost managed to forget about that." Hao said. "You're very serious when you say you don't talk about it."

"Yeah, well, I break that rule once and that's it." Patrick said. "Too easy to do it just once more, and then again, and again."

"Like killing people?" Hao asked.

"Could think of it like that." Patrick agreed. "I'm not here to give you a lecture though, I'll leave that to more serious folks like Silva."

"How is Silva lately?" Hao asked, giving Patrick a meaningful look.

"You really wanna know?" Patrick said, grinning lecherously.

"Ugh." Hao groaned. "Forget I asked."

"Well, we haven't got that far yet." Patrick said. "Silva's a bit of a prude, to be honest, but I'm wearing him down. He makes the cutest noises when I-"

"Stop, stop, no thank you." Hao interrupted. "I really don't need to hear about your private life."

"Aww, Zir doesn't want to hear it either." Patrick said, sticking his tongue out.

"I don't know if you'll answer this question, but do you hear Yoh?" Hao asked after a moment's silence. Patrick shut his eyes, silent for a long moment.

"He's the loudest."


	18. Chapter 18

Star: I own nothing!

"Can you believe how much business we're getting?" Patrick asked as they closed up the kitchen for the night. It had been a week since they got started, and the interest in their little restaurant had been growing steadily. Hao checked the ovens one last time, making sure they were all turned off and limped over to the door.

"We're something a little different." He replied. "The interest will wane as time goes on and we're not a novelty anymore."

"Aww, don't suck the joy out of my life, please." Patrick complained. He grinned though and tossed his cloth in the laundry bin they had set up in the kitchen. He was a bit manic today, probably because he hadn't taken a nap in between rushes like he normally did. Hao saw Zirca frowning at his back, and figured she was probably going to force him to bed once they got home.

They locked up and headed into the forest. "So, apparently the big buzz going around is that the X-Laws are trying to kill off some of the competition before they get to the arena, namely your old followers." Zirca said.

"That doesn't surprise me." Hao replied.

"They put a couple people in the hospital, and Silva tells me Goldva's making a new rule that attacks against people that are still in the tourney will result in an automatic disqualification from the tourney." Zirca continued. "Don't know if there's any sort of protection for those that wind up losing and are out of the tournament though."

"After they're out of the tournament they're no longer the Patch's problem." Hao said with a shrug. "I doubt Goldva will waste time trying to enforce any rules like that."

"Ain't that the truth." Patrick said. "The old lady reminds me a bit of Fury, ruthless and efficient and absolutely terrifying." He yawned widely. "How come Silva tells you all this stuff and not me?"

"Technically he's not even supposed to tell me, but he can bend the rules with me because I'm actually Patch." Zirca said. "I'm under no oaths not to tell anyone, so I can tell you."

"Sneaky." Hao commented.

"Not really." Zirca replied. "If Goldva really didn't want us to know, she'd make not telling me anything part of Silva's oaths."

"So these oaths are binding? Are they like the Fidelius Charm?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah, that's a good way of describing it." Zirca agreed.

"I have no idea what you just said." Hao said, shaking his head.

"You would if you'd just give in and read the Harry Potter books." Patrick pointed out. Hao went to answer, but something slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted in pain as someone fell on top of him, knocking the air from his lungs. He looked up, ready to snap at whoever had fallen on him, but his anger died at the sight of his brother staring down at him.

For a moment the twins just stared at each other, and then Yoh's expression turned to fear and he backed up, scooting backwards until he hit a tree. Hao got himself painfully to his feet, dusting off his pants.

"You're alive?" Yoh asked, his voice pitched high with anxiety.

"Obviously." Hao ground out. He was unprepared for Yoh to burst into noisy tears. He stood there, totally confused and having no idea what to do. Patrick sighed and pushed past him, giving him a light whap on the back of his head.

"Good god, you are useless as tits on a bull." He muttered as he knelt in front of Yoh and wrapped him in a warm hug. Hao could only watch, feeling as useless as Patrick called him, as Yoh's arms latched around Patrick and he buried his face in Patrick's chest, crying loudly. Patrick just rocked him gently, murmuring softly to him. Slowly Yoh calmed down to a point where he was just resting quietly against Patrick.

"Better?" Patrick asked. Hao saw Yoh nod his head slightly. "Good. Now, I know you probably got lots of questions, but I don't think now is the best time to do this. Your friends are probably gonna wonder where you are soon, and you're probably feeling pretty tired, right?" Yoh nodded his head again. "And you don't have a match tomorrow, do you?" Yoh shook his head. "Alright, so what I'm going to suggest is that you come to The Twisted Tree at nine tomorrow, find some excuse to get away from your friends, we don't want them knowing he's here."

"Okay." Yoh said softly.

"Atta boy." Patrick said, ruffling his hair. Yoh looked once more at Hao, his dark eyes wounded. He then got up and left.

"Why, why would you let him come early to talk to me?" Hao groaned when Yoh was gone and they were heading back to his house.

"Do you think he's just going to leave this alone if I didn't?" Patrick demanded. "He would come looking for you, and if we kept blowing him off eventually his friends are gonna know something's up and do you really want to involve them? May I remind you of one Lyserg Diethel, and the fact that you have no powers and only two mutants to stand between you and death."

"It would be easier if we could just erase his memory." Hao grumbled.

"Yeah, it would be easier." Zirca said. "But we don't have those kinds of powers, so this is the next best thing."

"It's ridiculous!" Hao declared. "How do we know that he's not just going to try to kill me?"

"He's not you, Hao." Patrick replied. "He's no killer."

"I have injuries that say otherwise." Hao snapped.

"He only tried to kill you because you were about to go out and destroy all of fucking humanity." Patrick snarled, rounding on him. Hao took a step back. He'd never seen Patrick quite this angry before. "He tried to kill you because you gave him no other choice. A sixteen year old boy, no training, no mental help for what he's done, and he is breaking apart at the seams now!"

"What do you mean, breaking apart at the seams?" Hao asked.

"Tell me, what is your brother like? Is he a cruel person?" Patrick asked.

"No, he's very good-natured, doesn't like conflict, doesn't like to make enemies." Hao said. He sighed as his own words sank in. "Taking a life would make him feel guilty, no matter what the reason for it."

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Patrick said. "Now, I feel guilty for killing people too, even though I know I do it out of a desire to protect. The difference between me and Yoh is I've been trained and prepared for the situation, and I have a team of mental help professionals at my disposal for when I need to talk to someone about it. Yoh has none of these things. He's a sixteen year old kid, out of his depth, and you know what, his friends probably don't get why he's so upset either."

"No, I doubt they do." Hao agreed. "You know this because of what Yoh dreams about, don't you?"

"I can't tell you that, and you know it." Patrick replied. "I can tell you that he is very fucking close to losing his mind, and you are going to talk to him even if I have to tie you down to do it!"

"Alright, alright." Hao said. "What the hell do I even say to him though? Sorry I forced you to try and kill me?"

"Let him talk first." Zirca advised. "He probably has a lot of questions, just let him ask them. Don't lie to him."

"I don't lie." Hao replied haughtily. "I don't need to lie."

"Good." Patrick said. "But be gentle. His mental state is not great right now, and he's afraid."

"I saw." Hao replied bluntly, remembering the look in Yoh's eyes. "Why do you care so much?"

"He's my brother. He might not know that, but I do." Patrick replied. "And I've seen that scared look too many times on the kids' faces that show up at Xavier's place. It ain't fair to leave him to try to deal with all this on his own."

"Are you going to tell him about you?" Hao asked.

"Which part?" Patrick asked with a lopsided grin.

"All of it." Hao replied.

"Well, we'll see how well he does with you." Patrick said. "No need to overwhelm him. I probably will have a private conversation with him though, about my abilities, and that's all I'm going to say. He seems to be a smart kid, figure he'll figure it out on his own pretty quick who I am."


End file.
